I Have No Clue What's Going On
by beeabeeon49
Summary: AU after Bill and Fleur's wedding. Ambushed after their first date, James Potter and Lily Evans find themselves thrust into the future. When they meet a certain trio on Tottenham Court Road, everything starts going a little crazy... *COMPLETE*
1. Chapter 1

**Yes, this is a new story. Yes, I should be working on 'The Marauders Read A Book?', and countless other stories. I just had this idea, really liked it, wrote the first two chapters, meant to write more before I published it, was really proud of it, and wanted to share it with you guys. So this is a kind of trial run, so don't expect regular updates, since my reading the books fic is still my main priority.**

"_Expulso!"_

James barely had time to watch the window shatter before he had to duck down behind a stone wall. A shot of green light narrowly missed his left ear, but he did not see where it hit.

"_Protego!" _

He silently thanked his girlfriend's logical streak, and watched as the three spells directed towards him stopped, then rebounded back out towards the casters.

James ignored their cries of wrath and took the opportunity to assess the situation.

It had been an early Spring visit to Hogsmeade, and Lily had finally agreed to go out with him. They had been ambushed when they had decided to retreat back to the castle.

They were nothing if not unprepared. Three Death Eaters were now out of commission, but still two remained.

They were at it again. James ducked, cast and cursed, ducking behind the wall again, wincing as it was blast to smithereens. He rolled away, standing as fast as he could.

Staring around, he could see no sign of movement, Death Eaters or Lily. He cautiously peered around, stepping forward carefully.

Then everything seemed to go into slow motion. He heard a cried "James!", felt himself being pulled down, missing the two spells being sent his way. They collided, the red and green colours turning to gold as they morphed.

He watched, fascinated, as a large gold bubble seemed to emerge from the ball of light, expanding slowly. James did nothing to stop it encasing him and Lily, until they were sitting inside the bubble.

The bubble suddenly burst and everything went black.

The blackness suddenly resided, and James found himself in what looked like a Muggle backstreet. It seemed the only good thing about the situation was the fact Lily was gripping his hand.

"This way."

He pulled her in a random direction, wanting to do something; understanding, she consented.

They turned onto a main road and Lily stopped, recognizing it. "We're on Tottenham Court Road."

This did not help James. "Where?" he asked, stumped.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Muggle street. I wonder why we ended up here?" She began to walk.

James fell into step beside her. "What shall we do now?"

"We'll stay here the night, and try to get back to Hogwarts tomorrow."

"Right." James felt strangely unprotected without his fellow marauders. Lily seemed to sense this, and gave him a sympathetic look.

"I'll take out some of my building society funds to pay for stuff."

This seemed to wake James up. "You don't have to do that."

She silenced him with a gentle glare. "You don't have any Muggle money, so I'll pay. You don't have to be so bloody noble all the time."

Hearing no other protests, she veered towards the nearest bank.

Once they were suitably supplied with money, they stood in the doorway of the bank, with decidedly lost expressions on their faces.

Lily took charge again. "Come on."

She steered James into a nearby café that was unoccupied, save the waitress standing behind the counter. Quickly ordering two coffees they sat, staring anxiously at each other.

"Glad you said 'yes'?" James tried to joke.

Lily snorted. "You see, this was why I always refused. I knew something like this was going to happen."

"Not because I was an arrogant toerag?" James raised his eyebrows.

"Well - that too." They laughed together.

Two people entered then, staring around with apprehensive looks on their faces. One was a girl with bushy brown hair, and the other was a boy with flaming red hair.

James thought they were standing weirdly, they almost seemed to be giving another person room to stand. If he didn't know better, he would have thought they possessed an Invisibility Cloak - but that was impossible. He turned back to Lily.

"Where are we sleeping?"

"I don't know. It's weird, but…well, it's just…this isn't how I remember Tottenham Court Road. And I've never seen this place before."

James shrugged. "It must be new."

"Doesn't look it."

This was true. The floor had a cracked, chipped quality of something that had been there a long time, the wallpaper was peeling and the tables were topped with grime.

Lily bit her lip. "Well, I suppose we'll find somewhere."

Two more people entered - workmen this time, wearing blue overalls…and wands!

Light flashed from nowhere, but neither person paid it a second thought, already in battle mode.

"_Stupefy!" _James registered dimly that they seemed to be doing a lot of fighting recently.

"_Crucio!" _

He dodged the badly-aimed Unforgivable, praying that it wouldn't hit someone else.

"_Stupefy!" _two voices cried - James recognized Lily's voice, and the other was a male voice - maybe the ginger boy? No, it couldn't have been - his mouth hadn't moved.

However, there was no time to be worrying about that. James was in combat again, against the bigger person who he guessed was a Death Eater.

"_Stupefy!" _was cried again, and the Death Eater finally fell, Stunned.

He watched the others slowly climb to their feet, observing them properly for the first time.

The ginger boy and bushy-haired girl looked much the same, albeit slightly more pale and shaken. What really drew his attention was another boy they had not seen before - this time he didn't dismiss the possibility of an Invisibility Cloak.

James furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. The boy looked like - well, he looked like _him_. His build and hair was the same, and (as he deduced from the glasses) so was the eyesight.

But his face - and his _eyes _- looked like Lily's, he reflected. What was going on?

Their appearance wasn't exactly expected for the others, either. James watched in fascination as all three turned pale, the boy who looked like him actually stepping backwards, having to grab hold of a table to steady himself. They stood there for a moment, just staring at each other in shock.

Soon, however, his look-a-like's shock melted into anger.

"WHO ARE YOU?" he demanded, stepping forward. "HOW DARE YOU IMPERSONATE THEM? HAVE YOU NO SHAME? HOW DARE YOU…"

"Harry…" the girl began tentatively, but the boy - Harry - ignored her.

"NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU THEN, WHAT VOLDEMORT DID? HAD TO PUT SALT IN THE WOUND, DIDN'T YOU? YOU COMPLETE, UTTER…"

"HARRY!" the other boy bellowed, catching the other's attention. "Harry, mate, they're on our side, they helped fight off the Death Eaters…"

"Bet they didn't know they were Death Eaters," Harry muttered bitterly, glaring at them.

"We're on your side if you're against the Death Eaters," Lily stated calmly, unruffled.

"Then why are you impersonating - "

"We're not impersonating anyone, as far as I know," James interrupted, slightly annoyed.

"Well, who are you then?" Harry shot back.

James replied, ignoring Lily's warning look. "James Potter and Lily Evans."

**Please review and tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two of this story! Thank you to everyone for reading, reviewing, favouriting and alerting! **

**Now, Harry doesn't seem that emotional about meeting his parents in this chapter. That's because survival comes first, and he still hasn't quite come to terms that his parents are there in the flesh. However, these reactions will definitely occur, only later in the story. Anyway, enjoy!**

_James replied, ignoring Lily's warning look. "James Potter and Lily Evans."_

Harry looked like he was about to begin shouting again, but the girl silenced him with a look, turning back to James and Lily.

"That's just it. You're not," she told them, raising her eyebrows.

"That's funny. I am pretty certain of who I am," James retorted, now fully questioning the sanity of their companions.

"That's impossible - " the girl began, but the red-head interrupted her.

"Hermione - they could be who they say they are."

When Hermione opened her mouth to argue, he continued hurriedly. "Just - just forget about logic for a bit and hear me out, okay? Well - they look exactly as how they did in their seventh year according to the photos in your album, Harry. Yes, I know there's Polyjuice, but you need hair for that…"

"There's body-altering charms…" Hermione began, but she was ignored.

"Harry, ask them a question only they would know."

Harry's mouth moved soundlessly, but no words came out. "I - I don't know…"

"C'mon…" the boy was bouncing on the balls of his feet, exited at the prospect of being right.

Harry's face lit up with sudden inspiration. "James - what is your animagus form?"

James felt Lily stiffen beside him, staring up at him in askance. He himself was unsettled - how on earth had Harry known that? Still, he answered. "Stag."

The boy nodded. "Correct."

Hermione gaped. "Ron, that doesn't mean they're James and Lily! For all we know, they're Death Eaters in disguise!"

But Harry was wavering. The correct answer had convinced him more, and now he was hoping…

Seeing this, James continued boldly. "Sirius is a dog. Peter is a rat. Remus is a werewolf. We are Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs." He silently apologized to his friends, but managed to persuade himself that this was important.

Harry exhaled sharply. "Hermione, they're who they say they are. They're - they're my - " He couldn't continue.

Seeing this, Ron turned back towards them. "How did you get here?"

Glad to be believed, they immediately told the full story.

When they had finished, James stared at the trio, fully registering for the first time what had happened to him and Lily in the past few hours.

"Well then, James and Lily - " Hermione bit her lip " - somehow, you two managed to end up in the future."

James's jaw dropped, and Lily gave a startled gasp beside him.

"But we'll talk about that later," put in Harry, staring at the two Death Eaters that lay on the floor. "We need to get out of here. Get somewhere safe. Then we can talk."

Everyone seemed to agree with this notion, so they leapt into a flurry of closing blinds, Obliviating Death Eaters and cleaning up the place (using magic of course).

When they were finished, they stood in a slightly awkward silence for a bit. James noticed Harry cast a slightly longing look in his and Lily's direction, before turning back to his friends, leaving James puzzled.

"Where are we going, then?" Ron asked Harry, who was obviously the leader of the group.

"Grimmauld Place," was the immediate response, causing James to look up sharply.

"What - "

He was interrupted by a shocked Hermione. "Harry, don't be silly, Snape can get in there!"

James looked at Lily in bewilderment - she looked equally lost.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "So? I'd like nothing better than to meet Snape." He ignored her further protests. "Can either of you apparate?"

They both shook their heads.

Ron grinned. "No worries - Harry and I can't, either. Only Hermione can."

"You Side-Along apparated?" Lily's jaw dropped. "But that's supposed to be really difficult! And with two people…"

"Well, that's our Hermione," Ron smiled at the blushing girl.

"Can you take all four of us?" Harry asked worriedly, indicating himself, Ron, Lily and James.

Hermione bit her lip. "I don't think so. I'll have to take you two at a time."

Harry nodded. "Take Ron and Lily first. That way the two from the past won't be left to their own devices." He smiled for the first time. "I'm not saying you're incapable, you're just unaware of what's happening in the world. You're a bit behind."

Everyone's agreement was nodded, and Hermione grabbed the arms of Ron and Lily, then all three disappeared with a _crack_.

James must have looked like he was about to talk again, because Harry sighed and said, "Later."

Hermione was not gone for long. She appeared soon enough, grabbing their arms and they vanished into darkness.

James opened his eyes, even though he didn't remember ever closing them. They were stood in the middle of a shabby-looking square, staring at a row of tall houses. The one odd thing about the sight was the fact there didn't seem to be a house number twelve..

"Where is - " James began, his eyes roaming the street. "Where's number twelve?"

The trio, who had begun walking, stopped.

"Oh - they can't see it," Ron turned around again, then said very clearly, "We are going to twelve Grimmauld Place."

The house seemed to appear out of nowhere. First it wasn't there - and then it was. Casting anxious looks around the square, the five hurried toward the front door. Harry tapped it once with his wand, it flew open, and they hurried over the threshold.

They stood quite still for a moment, wary of the enchantments in the trio's case, and just plain worried in James and Lily's case. Harry took a hesitant step forward.

"Severus Snape?" They froze, looking around for the source of the noise, but there was none.

"We're not Snape!" Harry managed to croak, before all five felt the unpleasant sensation of their tongues rolling backwards, rendering them unable to speak. No sooner had this happened, however, their tongues rolled back and all was how it was before.

Not for long. A tall figure rose at the end of the hall, its face old and wasted, its eyes empty sockets, a dreadfully altered version of the man they all knew well.

"No!" Harry cried loudly. "It wasn't us! We didn't kill you!"

The figure exploded into a cloud of dust, sending them into bouts of coughing. Shakily, Harry led them into the kitchen.

"What's going on?" James immediately demanded. "Who are you? Why are we here? _How do we get back?_"

**Please review! I know I probably got the logic behind the fidelius charm wrong, but I tried my best. Oh well, I hope it was still good!**


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter is 43 words short of my 1000 word target. Oh well, it was a good ending point and I'll try to make it up to you next chapter. **

**Also, I would like to say that this will NOT be a rewrite of Deathly Hallows, just with James and Lily being there and adding extra comments. I will try and make the plot different because they are there submitting their own ideas and skills as well as the trio.**

"_What's going on?" James immediately demanded. "Who are you? Why are we here? How do we get back?"_

The trio stared at each other, lost looks on their faces.

"We'll try to answer all those questions," Harry started, but Hermione gave a loud gasp, realising something.

"Harry - we can't tell them anything! The future could change drastically, and that would be really bad!"

Harry's mouth shut abruptly, and he said nothing more.

James looked sceptical. "Guys, I know we shouldn't be changing the future, but you look like you're on a bit of a predicament here. And we want to help you, but we can't do that if we don't know what's going on."

Ron nodded. "We'll just have to risk it. We can puzzle over this when everything's over. Right now we need all the help we can get."

Hermione wavered, unconvinced. "Maybe…I don't know…"

"If you tell us, it will be for the best," Lily said softly. She hadn't spoken much, and Hermione seemed to trust her more than the others, so she agreed reluctantly.

Harry started explaining again. "Well - I guess we'll introduce ourselves." He seemed reluctant to go first, turning to Ron for help.

Ron looked unsurprised at going first. "I'm Ron Weasley. Do you know my parents?"

James nodded. "Molly and Arthur. Mum likes to take us to their house from time to time. How many kids do they have? They always wanted a large family."

Ron grinned. "Seven, including me. There's a _lot _of us."

"Did they manage to get a girl?" asked Lily. Though she had never met Molly and Arthur, she had heard of them through James.

Ron nodded. "Ginny. She's the youngest - I'm second youngest."

Hermione took her turn as the conversation dwindled. "I'm Hermione Granger. I'm a Muggleborn, so you probably won't know my parents."

Lily furrowed her eyebrows. "Are you related to Michael Granger?"

Hermione nodded, surprised. "He's my grandfather. How did you know him?"

Lily smiled. "He was one of my old primary school teachers. I liked him."

Harry decided he had put off his introduction for long enough as James and Lily turned toward him expectantly. "I'm Harry. Harry Potter."

James bit his tongue so hard it bled. Subconsciously he had known it for a while, he guessed, as he didn't feel that shocked. It was just that confirmation that had caused his initial reaction.

"And I'm - "

Harry nodded. "You're - you're my dad. And Lily - Lily's my mum." For some reason a tear welled up in his eye, but he brushed it away angrily. "We can - we can talk about it later."

James nodded, curious as to what the conversation would be like.

Harry seemed to give himself a shake. "Anyway - next question. What was it again?"

"I believe it was 'why are we here'?" Ron grinned, trying to cheer his friend up slightly.

"Oh yes - I remember now. Do you mean why you're in the past or why we're in this house?"

James smiled slightly ruefully. "Both, but since you probably can't answer the first one, what are we doing in the Black family home?"

"So you recognized the address?" Hermione asked wryly. "And this isn't a Black family home anymore. It's a Potter family home."

"I'd forgotten about that," Ron snorted. "Lucky you, Harry."

"Could we rewind that a bit?" Lily asked, confused. "Why is it a Potter family home?"

"Because it belongs to me," Harry grinned. Seeing this didn't help, he asked a question. "What do you know of what would happen to this house when the owner died?"

"Well, first it would go to Orion if Walburga died, then Regulus, then…would Sirius get it?"

Hermione nodded. "Even though he was disowned, Sirius still would inherit the house since it could go to no-one else. After that it could go as Sirius pleased."

"So Sirius is - " James said quietly, his voice catching in his throat.

Harry nodded sadly. "In my fifth year. I inherited this in my sixth. I can tell you my life story some other time, but first we've got to win this war."

James nodded, trying to remain impassive and assuring himself that this was the future, and back in his own time Sirius was safe and well and probably having fun gallivanting with a random girl. This picture cheered him up a bit, and he was ready to continue with the explanations.

"And the last one was 'how do you get back'," Ron reminded them.

Hermione bit her lip. "That one - I have no idea. We could have used a time turner a couple of years ago, but we conveniently destroyed all of those…"

James opened his mouth, but Ron gave them a look that said _don't ask _so plainly that he closed it again.

"I think that's all for tonight," Harry said tiredly, drawing James's attention to how dark it was getting and how _tired _he was. "I'll show you to your rooms. Actually I won't - just find a room and sleep in it."

"Okay," James beckoned to Lily and they walked out the dining room and trooped up the stairs.

"I'm guessing you'll be in Sirius's room," Lily said quietly.

"I'm guessing I will be," James nodded, stopping outside the door with the word _Sirius _engraved onto it.

"Well - goodnight," she smiled, then, taking him by surprise, she stood on her tiptoes and lightly kissed him on the cheek. "I enjoyed the date."

And she was gone.

Smiling bemusedly to himself, James opened the door and walked into the room, coughing as the dust wafted into his mouth and nose. He stopped suddenly.

Lily - Lily had _kissed _him.

**Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter four is up! Also, I took the letter straight from the book, so I do not claim ownership of that. Thanks everyone for being awesome and reviewing, favouriting and alerting. Also, just thought I'd let you know that I have got all chapters up to number eight ready to be published. I'll probably put one up every day until I've run out of chapters in reserve. If that makes any sense to you.  
**

_Smiling bemusedly to himself, James opened the door and walked into the room, coughing as the dust wafted into his mouth and nose. He stopped suddenly._

_Lily - Lily had kissed him._

Yes, it had only been a small brush on the cheek, but it was progress, right? It was far better than the whole 'I hate your guts and I would rather go out with the giant squid' part of their relationship.

He sighed, flopping onto the bed. He was _tired_. The whole day had taken more out of him than he had realised - not only had he had two fights, he had travelled to the future, met his future son and found out his best friend had died. It seemed strange that that morning he had been worrying about his date with Lily. Who had just said she enjoyed it.

James was in a daydream again, forgetting for the moment the hard and tiring parts of the day, and just remembering how Lily had kissed him on the cheek. Maybe…maybe there was hope.

He smiled wryly to himself. One thing that could not fail to bring two people together was travelling to the past. And - had Harry said who his mother was? He had! Lily…

Sometime later his musings became his dreams and before he knew it he had drifted off to sleep.

The next day started when he groggily opened his eyes. From the lack of sunlight he deduced it still was not morning, but he couldn't sleep anymore.

He sat up slowly, looking around the room for the first time. It was dusty, and looked like it had been ransacked - books were strewn everywhere, drawers and cupboard were opened and the bedside table was upturned.

This confused James. Why would anyone ransack the house? It would be dangerous, anyone knew that - the Blacks had probably set up a number of enchantments that would be set off if anyone even came _close _to stealing from their beloved family home.

James stared around the room, interested by what Sirius had done to annoy is parents before he had had the wisdom to run away. A Gryffindor scarf adorned the top of the mantelpiece, and red and gold flags decorated the walls. James supposed they stayed there because of a permanent sticking charm.

There were pictures on the walls. There were a few of motorbikes (James had no idea why Sirius was so obsessed with them), a large amount of Muggle girls wearing bikinis, and one, James recognized with a jolt, of the marauders.

He continued looking around the room, although he couldn't help feeling a bit guilty as he started looking through the drawers.

He finally came across a letter that he recognized as being in Lily's handwriting. He smiled slightly; it seemed that Sirius and Lily had started getting on slightly better after he and Lily had started going out.

James read it eagerly, wanting to have even the slightest glimpse into the future.

_Dear Padfoot,_

_Thank you, thank you, for Harry's birthday present! It was his favourite by far. One year old and already zooming along on a toy broomstick, he looked so pleased with himself. I'm enclosing a picture so you can see. _

_You know it only rises about two feet off the ground but he nearly killed the cat and he smashed a horrible vase Petunia sent me for Christmas (no complaints there). Of course James thought it was so funny, says he's going to be a great Quidditch player but we've had to pack away all the ornaments and make sure we don't take our eyes off him when he gets going._

_We had a very quiet birthday tea, just us and old Bathilda who has always been sweet to us and who dotes on Harry. We were so sorry you couldn't come, but the Order's got to come first, and Harry's not old enough to know it's his birthday anyway! James is getting a bit frustrated shut up here, he tries not to show it but I can tell – also Dumbledore's still got his Invisibility Cloak, so no chance of little excursions. If you could visit, it would cheer him up so much. Wormy was here last weekend. I thought he seemed down, but that was probably the news about the McKinnons; I cried all evening when I heard._

_Bathilda drops in most days, she's a fascinating old thing with the most amazing stories about Dumbledore. I'm not sure he'd be pleased if he knew! I don't know how much to believe, actually because it seems incredible that Dumbledore_

James frowned. That seemed an odd place to end the letter. He rummaged through the drawer again, but couldn't find the next sheet of the letter. He did find the picture though, and was confused as to why it was ripped down the middle. Still, it provided an insight to the future.

He hadn't realised how long he'd been searching until he looked out the window and saw the sun had completely risen. Quickly getting to his feet, he made for the door - he had to show his discovery to Lily!

James stopped when he got into the hallway. He didn't know where Lily was sleeping, and he didn't want to disturb her - he also didn't want to scare her off by reminding her that they were married in the future. He resolved to show her when they had got to know each other more than they did already.

So instead of going to find Lily, he turned to make his way downstairs, almost colliding with his son who was coming up the opposite way. They stopped and stared at each other for a moment.

"Where did you sleep?" James asked at last, before the silence got too awkward.

"Downstairs. We wanted to stay together."

James nodded, understanding. "Ron and Hermione still asleep?"

"Yeah."

"So, er - what did you come up for?"

Harry shrugged. "I just wanted to explore the house. I wanted to have something to do."

James regarded him. "Read this." He passed Harry the letter, who read it with a confused expression on his face.

When he had finished, the confused expression had been replaced with one of sadness. "That's - that's nice."

"Why are you here?" James asked him, a shrewd expression on his face. "Why are you so involved in the war, and where are we?"

Harry gave him a pained look. "I'd rather get the story-telling over and done with when everyone's there." He walked past James, signalling he didn't want to talk about it anymore.

He stopped abruptly.

"Ron! Hermione!"

James heard the sound of pounding feet almost immediately, Ron and Hermione appearing at the top of the steps, breathless.

"Blimey, Harry, we thought you'd been attacked or something!" Ron wheezed once he had realised Harry was quite safe.

Harry gave them a sheepish look. "Sorry guys, I just needed you here quickly. I've - I've found RAB."

**Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yes, it is a short chapter, but it was a perfect ending. Nothing much else to say really, apart from the usual thank you for reviewing, favouriting and alerting!**

**Oh, and with Kreacher - I know I should really include Mundungus as well to talk about Umbridge, because I really wanted to move on with the plot. So let's just say that Kreacher knows that Umbridge now has it... *points to summary* It says AU!  
**

_Harry gave them a sheepish look. "Sorry guys, I just needed you here quickly. I've - I've found RAB."_

James raised an eyebrows. "Who's RAB?" He was ignored.

"You have? Where?" Hermione asked, staring around as if it would just appear out of nowhere.

"On the door." Harry was still staring at the place the sign was, astonished that he had found the elusive person they were searching for in his _house_.

Ron read out the sign. "Do not enter without the express permission of Regulus Arcturus Black."

Hermione gasped. "Regulus Arcturus Black - RAB."

"Look, can anybody explain to me who this RAB person is?" James interrupted, not liking being left out.

"Sure, just wake up Lily first," Harry answered, starting to walk downstairs again. "We'll be in the kitchen." The others followed him, leaving James wondering why Harry was showing almost no emotion toward him.

James stared down the hall, then began walking, opening doors at random. He found Lily at the very end, in a small sitting room. She was fast asleep on a sofa at the very back of the room, the sunlight casting shadows on her face. James hated to wake her, but it had to be done.

"Lily."

"Mmm?" she groggily opened one eye then, seemingly remembering what had happened the previous day, sat up. "What's going on?"

"Harry and friends have found out who someone called RAB was and they're going to explain who he is."

"All they seem to be doing is explaining stuff to us," Lily muttered, standing up, looking down at herself in disgust. "I hate sleeping in my clothes."

James looked at her in confusion. They were in a life-threatening situation and she was worrying about her _clothes_? She caught his eye and grinned. James snorted, and before they knew it they were laughing together for no reason whatsoever.

"C'mon," James coughed when they had finally finished laughing. "We'd better get going before they start worrying where we are."

Lily nodded, and the two made their way downstairs to the kitchen, where they were met with a very weird sight.

The trio were grouped around something (James couldn't quite see what) and seemed to be listening very hard to something. As they drew nearer, Lily gave a gasp.

"What - what on earth is that?"

James grimaced. "That, Lily, is a House Elf."

They stood in the doorway for a moment, waiting for the trio to finish their business. The odd thing was that the House Elf seemed to be telling them a story, and they were listening so intently James didn't have the heart to interrupt them. His eyes furrowed in confusion as they elf started crying, obviously in distress, rocking back and forth.

They talked in low voices for the next five minutes or so, at the end of which Harry pressed some sort of locket into the elf's hand, causing it to burst into a fresh bout of tears. It turned on its heel and disapparated with a _crack_.

Harry turned to face them, looking obviously shaken and slightly disgusted at the ordeal he had just been put through.

"Sorry about that, just needed to find something important out…Alright, gather around and I'll tell you the full story."

So they were told the story of Horcruxes, RAB and Dumbledore's death, leaving Lily and James quite pale-faced and shocked.

"So we need to find all the Horcruxes and destroy them," James clarified. "And this RAB had one, so we need to find the one that he did."

"But RAB's dead," Hermione continued. "And this locket, the Horcrux, has been taken by someone from the Ministry."

"Umbridge," Harry tried not to grimace. "She's horrible."

"We need a plan," Ron suggested. "A plan to get the locket back."

"One that doesn't involve breaking into the Ministry, hopefully," Lily muttered, causing the rest to laugh. She glared at them. "Don't laugh. If I didn't have a plan, that is what I'm sure you would be doing."

"You have a plan?" asked Hermione eagerly, leaning forward.

Lily nodded, allowing a grin to blossom on her face. "This is what we do…"

The plan had been agreed on, and it had been decided to perform it the next day, the rest of that day being a day of rest. James signalled to Harry he wanted to talk _privately_, causing the boy to sigh and lead James into the family tree room.

"What was it you wanted to say?" Harry asked, leaning against the tapestry on the wall.

James glared at him. "Look, I know you're my son. Where's me, then? Where's Lily? Why are you so involved in this war?"

Harry sighed. "James, this isn't…"

James groaned, annoyed. "I know it's not relevant, I know it's not going to help us win the war, I just want to know!"

"Alright, I'll tell you, but only an abridged version. Don't tell Lily this, if she wants to know she'll have to ask me herself."

James nodded. "Agreed."

Harry surveyed him, trying to determine whether to soften the blow, or just get it over and done with. One look at James's face told him that James was not going to patient enough for him to soften it. "You and Lily were killed by Voldemort when I was one."

He turned and walked out the room, leaving James staring at thin air.

**Please review and don't hate me for the short chapter! Just out of interest, how old do you think I am?  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, chapter 6 here! This short chapter (and it is short) contains lots of James/Lily fluff and Remus appears briefly. Are you excited yet? Yes, I know Remus should appear later but I'm going to use the excuse I did last chapter - it's AU!**

**Sorry the chapter is so short, but to make it up to you next chapter will be longer, and it will be Lily's plan! *cue ominous music* So that one will be very plot-based, whereas this one is really all to do with the characters.**

**Also, thanks to 10Miau10 for translating this story into German!  
**

_Harry surveyed him, trying to determine whether to soften the blow, or just get it over and done with. One look at James's face told him that James was not going to patient enough for him to soften it. "You and Lily were killed by Voldemort when I was one."_

_He turned and walked out the room, leaving James staring at thin air._

James stood, dumbstruck, his mouth gaping open. How could Harry just drop that bombshell on him, and expect him not to tell Lily?

He wasn't emotional, just shocked. He was sure that later on, when he had processed this information, he would freak or do something of the like. Right now the sentence didn't seem to mean anything.

_You and Lily were killed by Voldemort when I was one._

James left, wanting to talk to Lily. He might not be able to tell her what he had just found out, but he could at least hint at it or suggest she talk to Harry. That and he just wanted he company.

Lily was in the library, staring at the books in disgust. As James drew closer to her, she turned and spoke to him.

"There aren't any good books here. They're all about the Dark Arts or old pureblood families or other stuff that's equally horrid."

"Don't look at them then." James gave a half-smile and pulled her arm. "Come and play chess or something. There's a board up in Sirius's room."

Lily consented to be pulled up the stairs and into Sirius's room. As they sat on the floor laying out the pieces, she spoke again.

"You know, maybe you're not all bad."

James tried not to look too excited. "Really?"

"Well, it seems my future self thinks so," she grinned. "We do end up getting married and having a son, you know."

So she _had _remembered that part.

James smiled at her. "You okay with that?"

"Well, I don't really have a choice, do I?" she laughed. "But I guess I'm happy."

James looked up. "Oh?"

Lily leaned forwards and kissed him.

James sat in shock for a moment, until he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed back fiercely.

Lily found herself being pulled forward, disrupting the chess board (not that either cared). She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he pulled her into his lap.

They finally broke apart, panting, staring at each other.

James broke the silence. "I guess you were really happy, huh?"

Lily blushed, making to get up. "I guess you're pleased with yourself."

James grinned up at her. "I am."

He pulled her into another kiss.

_CRASH!_

They jumped apart, ran out of the room and stopped at the top of the stairs. They caught a glimpse of a person coming in through the door - a very familiar person…

James darted forward, ignoring all his voices of reason telling him that _this_ _was not a good idea_. "Moony?"

Remus froze, looking up the stairs. He saw the two standing on the landing and whitened in shock. "Prongs…" he croaked, but James interrupted him.

"Blimey, Moons, you're not looking your best. Old age get to you?"

Remus gaped at him.

"What is it? Cat got your tongue?"

Remus stared up at them, managing to get out, "How…"

James smiled cheekily at him. "Better get home, gramps. Your jaw looks like it's going to fall off."

Remus nodded, still dumbfounded, and left.

"You could have let him adjust," Lily told him reproachfully. James smirked and pecked her on the lips.

"Don't think that kissing me is going to let you off!" Lily threatened, but it had no real bite to it.

James raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

Lily playfully hit him on the arm. "Slow down, boy. We only had our first date yesterday."

James snorted. "Yes, but in this time we've been married for over seventeen years."

Lily laughed. "I suppose you're right. Speaking of which, I really ought to speak to Harry."

"I have," James grimaced. "And I found out one thing about the future."

"Which is?" Lily prompted, but James shook his head.

"Harry said you have to ask him yourself."

"Just wants to make it hard, doesn't he?" Lily smiled mischievously. "I guess I'll just have to get it out of you." She stepped forward. "After all, we _have _been married for over seventeen years."

**Please review this shortness! And yes, seeing James and Lily means that Remus didn't have an argument with Harry. I mostly did that because I hate that part in the book. They have, however, read the newspaper so they still know all the information Remus told them in the book. I can do that because I'm the author, see.**


	7. Chapter 7

**And this is finally a plot-based chapter! So please welcome chapter 7 - in which Lily's plan is performed!**

They were ready to start their plan.

Hermione had spent most of the morning morphing details of Lily's face. Lily now had sleek black hair that she had tied in a bun, blue eyes and a sharp, pointed face. In her hand she carried a bag full of Galleons, and she was dressed in expensive robes that had been found in one of the bedrooms.

Harry would be tailing her in his Invisibility Cloak, there to provide protection if anything went wrong. These two were after the locket.

Ron, Hermione and James's faces were hidden by hoods, and they wore black cloaks that had also been found in the bedrooms.

Hermione transported them two by two to a street near the Ministry, then they were finally ready to begin.

_Lily and Harry_

Lily peered anxiously at the space where she thought Harry was, then turned and stared at the building. _I'm not afraid_.

She felt an unseen hand grab her arm and lead her around to the visitor entrance. She stepped into the telephone box, and Harry squeezed in behind her.

"6…2…4…4…2…" Lily punched in the numbers and held the receiver to her ear.

When requested, she replied coolly, "Violet Meza. Business venture."

Her name tag was printed and she pinned it to the front of her robes. The door to the telephone box opened again and she stepped out into the impressive atrium of the Ministry of Magic.

She ignored the voice requesting her to submit her wand for inspection, and walked quickly toward the information desk.

"Where might I find Dolores Umbridge?"

The employee looked up, checked her name tag and replied briskly, "Level two."

Lily nodded her thanks and walked toward the elevator, Harry following her silently. They were not interrupted in their journey and lily found herself outside Umbridge's door sooner than she had wished.

Taking a deep breath, she rapped firmly on the door three times.

"Come in!" called a sickly-sweet honeyed voice.

Lily steeled herself and entered.

Her first overwhelming impression was how much the woman facing her resembled a toad. Her second was how _pink _the room was.

Trying to ignore these two negative facts, Lily stepped forward with a pleasant smile on her face.

"Good morning, Miss Umbridge. I am Violet Meza and I'm here on the matter of a business venture."

"Oh?" Umbridge eyed the bag in her hand slightly greedily. "Please sit down."

Lily pulled back a seat and sat opposite the woman. "My colleagues and I have been looking through our records and have found that you possess an artefact that originally belonged to the ancient house of Selywn."

Umbridge looked surprised. "You mean this?" she asked, indicating the locket around her neck.

"Indeed." Lily smiled grimly. "We would like to have it in our vault in Gringotts. I have - " she placed the bag on the desk " - Galleons."

Umbridge eyed the bag. "A hundred Galleons."

Lily tried not to gape at the _nerve _of the woman as she opened the bag. "Very well."

Umbridge pulled the locket from her neck, thrust it into Lily's hand, then fell upon the Galleons. Lily placed the locket carefully into the bag, then made a speedy exit.

She heard Harry snort beside her, and knew what he was thinking. _Idiot_.

They walked as fast as they could toward the exit without breaking into a run, which would have looked _very_ suspicious. Managing to escape from the place unscathed and unnoticed provided them with great confidence, and they sat and waited for the other three to appear.

_James, Ron and Hermione_

Hermione took a deep breath and grabbed both James and Ron's arms.

"Remember - big entrance!" she muttered, before turning on her heel and apparating, taking the two boys with her.

They appeared in the middle of the court room the Muggleborn trials were being taken place in. Ron cast a Patronus charm to protect them from the Dementors, while James and Hermione stared up at the interrogators.

James noticed with relief that Umbridge was not among them; that meant that Lily had a greater chance of seeing the woman.

"I command you to stop," James said in a slow, calm voice. "It is against the rules of the Ministry to do this."

"Who are you?" demanded the chief interrogator. "Lower your hoods so we can see who you are."

Hermione replied in a cold voice. "You do not question the keepers of the Ministry."

James smirked at the shock on the faces of the interrogators. They of course knew the legend of the keepers; it was said that they had been created by the founders of the Ministry to make sure the rules were kept.

"I am disappointed," James began. "We have never had to visit the Ministry before this."

"But this is a massive breach of the rules," Hermione continued. "We command you to stop."

The chief interrogator seemed to have gained his courage back. "The Ministry was founded thousands of years ago. New ideas need to be moved in, or no progress will be made."

"_Expulso!"_

Ron's whispered spell caused a vacant chair to explode, making the interrogators shrink back, shocked. James turned back to them.

"Stop these foul deeds now."

"No."

"_Expulso!" _Ron whispered again - this time it was the chandelier that exploded, glass flying everywhere.

James spoke coldly. "Stop this now or it will be you next."

This seemed to frighten the chief effectively. "Fine. We'll stop the trials."

Hermione extended her arm. "Unbreakable Vow."

The chief took a deep breath. "Fine."

Hermione stepped up to the raised table and the two grasped arms. James drew his wand, pointing it at the two arms.

"After this meeting, will you stop these Muggleborn interrogations that you do?"

The chief twitched. "I will."

"And you will stop all interrogations that you do not partake in?"

"I will."

"And you will speak of this meeting to nobody?"

"Then how - " The chief fell silent. "I won't."

The spell dissipated and Hermione drew her hand back quickly.

"_Obliviate!" _all three cried, pointed at different interrogators, until all except the chief had forgotten the ordeal.

Then Hermione grabbed the two boys' arms and all three disappeared into darkness.

**Lol, that last scene reminded me of The Prince of Egypt. LET MY PEOPLE GO!**

…**Anyway, please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter number 8, here you go! Actually, I'm not quite sure why I'm writing this author's note now, since at this current moment in time I've only published three chapters. Yes, that's how ahead I am.**

**In this instalment there's a happy Kreacher and lots of talking. This chapter was actually originally about 700 words, but I embellished it and expanded on it so now it is over my target (and I never include ANs in my word count. I don't cheat). Anyway, enjoy!**

_Then Hermione grabbed the two boys' arms and all three disappeared into darkness._

Within five minutes everyone was back at number twelve, Grimmauld Place. Harry, Hermione, James and Lily retired to one of the smaller sitting rooms, while Ron disappeared into the kitchen to find some food.

"He reminds me of Sirius," James snorted when they were all seated comfortably.

"Ron?" asked Harry, tucking his feet up beneath him.

James nodded. "He's always hungry and never stops eating. Hermione, please can you change Lily back to what she normally looks like? Her face doesn't look right."

Hermione laughed and complied, then looked up as a grinning Ron appeared in the doorway.

"Kreacher's happy."

Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Ron, _Kreacher _and _happy_ don't belong together in a sentence unless _is not _is placed between them."

Ron snorted. "Yeah, but he is seriously happy - come and see because it's freaking me out."

All four followed him into the kitchen, intrigued, then stopped short. Kreacher was dancing merrily around the kitchen, at times dropping things into various pots, at other times putting pots on and off the heat.

"Kreacher has made young master and his friends tomato soup, with treacle tart for dessert. Kreacher knows that young master is very fond of treacle tart."

"Yes, er - thank you Kreacher," Harry said awkwardly, staring at his friends, silently asking for help.

"Is it ready now, Kreacher?" Hermione asked cautiously.

Kreacher nodded eagerly, his ears flapping and bulbous eyes shining. "Yes it is, miss! Could masters and misses please wash their hands before they eat?"

All five nodded dumbly and went over to the sink to wash their hands.

The soup was absolutely delicious, and completely welcomed by everyone. James had only just realised (for he had been quite preoccupied) he hadn't eaten since lunchtime the day before, and he was ravenous. However, after his second helping of tomato soup and third of treacle tart, his belt felt uncomfortably tight and he was finally contented.

The five were now sitting around in various sofas and chairs in the small sitting again, sipping hot chocolate that Kreacher had happily made for them.

"What's up with that elf?" asked Ron, completely stumped.

Hermione rolled her eyes and replied quietly. "Kreacher absolutely idolised Regulus. That fake locket belonged to Regulus, and he finds it a great honour to be able to own it when a wizard is equally entitled to it. That's what makes him happy."

"_Really _happy," James nodded, smiling at the thought of the over-exited elf, wondering why his best friend hated Kreacher so much.

Indeed, it seemed that the only person in the house who wasn't in a good mood was Harry. He wasn't exactly grumpy, just serious.

Noticing this, Lily concernedly turned to her son. "Is anything the matter, Harry?"

"We need to plan," he said quietly. "We have to plan or we'll never defeat Voldemort. This war has to end. That's all I can think about right now."

The other four exchanged sombre looks.

"Let's plan then," Ron sat up straighter, reading for business.

Harry nodded slightly gratefully, glad that his companions understood. "We know that Voldemort made six Horcruxes. We know that two have been destroyed - one by me and one by Dumbledore - and we now have a third." He indicated the small bag that still contained the locket. It was never out of their sight - they didn't want it being stolen again. "That means we still have to find three and destroy four."

The others nodded their agreement, even though their task was seeming more and more impossible as time went on. Wincing, Harry ploughed on.

"We also have no means of destroying the locket - or any other Horcruxes we happen to find. How do you destroy a Horcrux again, Hermione?"

"By destroying it, and putting it beyond repair," the girl replied promptly. "Right now, the only method of doing this we know is stabbing it with a basilisk fang."

Harry nodded. "And since we obviously don't have a constant supply of those, or have any clue about what other methods we could use, I suggest we make hunting the Horcruxes our main priority. When we have all of them we can work on finding a way to destroy them all at once."

"Do we have any leads that could help us?" Lily asked. "Right now, and forgive me for being blunt, we just seem to be groping around in thin air."

"Dumbledore had a theory that Voldemort might hide the Horcruxes in places that were important or special to him," Ron remembered. "You said that he told you that last year, remember, Harry?"

Harry nodded again. "He also thought that Voldemort wanted to use things that belonged to each Hogwarts house. The locket was obviously Slytherin's. Dumbledore didn't believe that he used anything of Gryffindor's. That leaves Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff."

"I'll look in the library tomorrow," Lily volunteered, not looking excited at the prospect of looking through those _disgusting _books again.

Hermione smiled over at her. "I'll help you."

"Then what are we going to do?" Ron asked, looking over at Harry again.

"We might have to do some research as well."

He grinned as James and Ron groaned.

"Sorry guys, but we need to find out more about Horcruxes and how to destroy them. We can't defeat Voldemort just through action."

Harry laughed at Ron's pouting expression, while Hermione muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "Why couldn't you have learned that sooner?"

"Can we at least have a break first?" James begged.

"Yes - we can go to bed." Harry stood up.

Lily observed them with an amused expression on her face. "You just managed to reverse your roles. Harry became the father and James became the son."

"Who acts like a two-year-old," Hermione added, then shrieked along with Lily as James chased them out the room.

Harry turned to Ron with a confused expression on his face. "Did Hermione mean _I _act like a two-year-old as well? Or is it only James that acts like a two-year-old?"

Ron shrugged, grinning. "Not quite sure why you're asking me that, mate. If you don't know, how am _I _supposed to work out what the girl's thinking?"

Harry snorted. "We'd better go to bed or we'll be exhausted tomorrow."

Ron smiled cheekily at him. "Yes, dad, I know it's past my bedtime."

Harry groaned and chased his friend out the room.

**Please review! Next chapter will also have a lot of talking in it, but the chapter after that should be very plot-based like the last one. **

**And yes, I know that Harry already knows about Hufflepuff's cup, he just forgot. It was intentional. It was definitely not a mistake I made because I haven't read the Half-blood Prince in a long time. It was just an intention I didn't know I had when I was writing it...  
**

**That is all.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter - 9, I believe. And it's long. But there's not much action unless you count falling off a chair as action. Intrigued now? Probably not.**

**I had to put up with my cousin watching Tintin while I was writing this, so I apologise if it's not up to my normal standards, I was distracted. **

James woke up the next morning sooner than he wished. He yawned, stretched, decided he couldn't put off getting up any longer and slowly stood up.

At the top of the stairs he met Lily, who smiled distractedly and kissed him on the cheek. No doubt she was thinking hard about the research she would be conducting later. James grabbed her hand and they walked down to the kitchen together.

They were immediately greeted with a cheerful Kreacher who offered them toast which they accepted, before they joined Hermione who was sitting at the table.

She looked up, a satisfied smile on her face. "Kreacher went out to get a _Daily Prophet_. Read it - it finally has good news."

James took it from Hermione eagerly and started to read, Lily reading over his shoulder.

_Trials Cancelled_

_The recent Muggleborn trials have been cancelled, the chief interrogator Garius Gala announced yesterday evening._

"_I can not explain why I decided to stop these trials from taking place," he told our reporters in an exclusive interview. "I can just assure the general public that my decision was for the best, for both the Ministry and, more importantly, wizardkind."_

_The founder of these Muggleborn trials, Dolores Umbridge, was not so enthusiastic about this new development._

"_These trials were commissioned to protect the purity of wizards and witches," she said stiffly when questioned. "I hope the scheme will be back soon, once it has been realised how important the protection of our ancient bloodlines and purity is. If I could I would reinstate the trials immediately."_

_Unfortunately for her and those with the same views, she does not have this power. If her face is anything to go by, however, this fact might not be true sometime in the near future._

_We have yet to discover what will happen in the future for these trials, as Mr Gala seems intent on keeping them from the courtrooms of the Ministry of Magic._

_Reported by Marcus Verda_

James smiled grimly. "Of course he's intent on it. He doesn't want to die."

Lily grimaced. "Those trials will be back though, there's no doubt about that. Once Umbridge gets the power to reinstate them…"

"At least we've given time for the Muggleborns in danger to go on the run or hide," Hermione said with a sigh, getting up. "It's not ideal, but it's better than nothing. Come on, Ron and Harry are waiting for us in the library."

James gave a comical groan. "This is more nerve-wracking than what we did yesterday."

Lily hit him up the side of his head. "Behave."

The three of them reached the library and hurried over to Harry, who turned and greeted them with instructions.

"Hermione and Lily, you're looking for information about objects that could belong to Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Ron and James, you're looking for information on Horcruxes and how to destroy them."

"What are you doing?" Ron asked him.

"I'm brainstorming places that might be important to Voldemort."

"I'm still amused at the idea of Voldemort having places that he feels are special," James snorted, causing the others to laugh a little.

Harry continued. "At lunch we'll put together our information - this is to defeat Voldemort, so _no slacking off_." He glared especially hard at Ron and James, who smiled innocently. He rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's go."

Harry left the other four and wandered around a corner, into the heart of the library. The shelves were made of dark mahogany and the only light source was a small gas lamp that was placed on a desk, tucked away in a small alcove. It was almost certain that an extension charm had been placed on the room.

He sat on an armchair covered with green velvet and peered around, suddenly aware of how _little _the five of them knew - and how much he was _failing _at leading them.

Dropping his head into his hands, he groaned, despairing. Suddenly, without warning, a huge pain blossomed in his head. Gripping his forehead as if it would assuage the pain, he slid to the floor, and the vision started.

_He was following a younger Professor Dumbledore in through the door to the Leaky Cauldron…through into Diagon Alley…the tall, white building grew nearer…he entered -_

"Are you alright?" a concerned voice asked.

Harry looked up, pale, sweaty and shaking, into the worried face of his teenaged mother.

"Gringotts," he gasped, out of breath, watching as her face contorted in confusion.

"What?"

"Gringotts. There's a Horcrux in Gringotts."

This only confused Lily even more. "How - how do you know?"

"I have…these visions," he tried to explain. "I see through Voldemort's eyes. Usually I see what he's think, but this…this was a memory…" He shook his head and stood up. "I'm fine."

He walked off leaving Lily standing there with a confused expression on her face.

The five took a break at lunch, sharing their information and eating sandwiches Kreacher had prepared. Hermione had been indignant, but she had been assured that Kreacher was most definitely enjoying what he was doing - they weren't forcing him to do anything.

"We'll go first." James indicated himself and Ron. "Well - we already know that Horcruxes can be destroyed using basilisk venom. _We _found out that anything goblin-made can also destroy a Horcrux."

"Like the sword of Gryffindor, which Dumbledore tried to give to Harry in his will," Ron reminded them. "However, we are no closer to getting that than we are to getting a basilisk fang, so the information was useless."

Harry shook his head. "No, it could come in useful to know that fact. Lily, Hermione, your turn."

"From Hufflepuff, there was a cup," Hermione started, and Harry gave a gasp of recognition.

"I already knew that! I just forgot it. It was in a memory…" he sat back, feeling stupid.

"Well, from Ravenclaw there was a diadem," Lily continued. "It's been lost for centuries - the perfect Horcrux."

Harry nodded, glad to have more information. "And as for me - there's a Horcrux in Gringotts."

"How do you know?" Hermione and James asked at the same time, Hermione worried and James mildly curious.

"Was it a vision?" Ron asked, observing Harry shrewdly.

Harry nodded slowly. "And Hermione, don't start. This provided invaluable information and you know it, so don't bother telling me off."

"I wasn't going to tell you off!" she protested, annoyed. "I was going to ask why you didn't see what he was seeing, you saw a memory instead?"

Harry shrugged. "I figured he was just remembering going to Gringotts for the first time, and I came along for the ride."

"Right." Hermione remained unconvinced.

"So where in Gringotts would it be?" James asked. "Which vault?"

"The Malfoys'?" Lily suggested, but the future trio shook their heads.

"No - Voldemort has stopped trusting them after the diary was destroyed under their watch," Ron replied. "My guess would be the Lestrange vault."

Harry nodded. "You're probably right."

Hermione smiled grimly. "If you need another plan, I have one."

**Please review! **

**The next chapter will be Hermione's plan.**


	10. Chapter 10

**It's another plot-based chapter, and it's longer than the last plot-based one by about 100 words. Yay.**

**I actually found this chapter quite hard to write, but that's probably because I drafted it when I'd just woken up and hadn't even got dressed yet.**

**Beware the attack of the semi-colons! I seemed to use a lot in the first half of this chapter, but I hope that doesn't detract from it. And I'm just using these ANs to make the chapter even longer.**

The five stood outside the Leaky Cauldron, but only one was visible. Due to James having an Invisibility Cloak when he and Lily arrived in the future, they now had two cloaks. Harry and Ron were under one, and James and Lily were under the other. Hermione was visible, but unrecognizable - a hood covered her face and a cloak shrouded the rest of her body.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione opened the door and strode inside. The once-bustling inn was now almost deserted, and no-one questioned her as she went out the back door and through into Diagon Alley.

Diagon Alley was also a very depressing sight - there was almost no-one about, very few shops were open, the ones that were closed generally had shattered windows and boarded-up doors.

The tall figure of Gringotts was still as imposing as ever, however. Hermione gulped as they approached; not being able to see her companions left her feeling scarily alone.

She bit her lip, then walked as quickly as she could toward the building, trying not to act bothered by the strange looks she was getting from passers-by.

All five were glad that goblins did not care about the affairs of wizards, but treated them all the same; even if that meant everyone was treated with disdain.

"I wish to enter the Black vault," Hermione said in a domineering voice, thrusting the key into the hand of the goblin behind the counter.

They had chosen the Black vault instead of the Potter one to generate less publicity; although goblins did not care for the affairs of wizards, other wizards in the bank might have heard someone requesting to enter the Potter vault.

A goblin was called up, and Hermione was shown to a cart. She sat down, making sure to leave space for the four invisible people following her.

Hermione left some time for them to get further away from the main hall, then grimaced - this was the part of the plan she hated. Slowly she drew her wand and pointed it at the goblin, praying he wouldn't notice.

"_Imperio!"_

The word tasted bad in her mouth. She stared at he wand, marvelling at the fact she would always know her own wand had cast an Unforgivible.

_Take us to the Lestrange vault _she thought desperately. _Get us there safely_.

The cart changed direction and she breathed a sigh of relief, peering at the goblin's face. It had a dazed expression on it, and Hermione felt a stab of guilt. She shook her head resolutely. This was a war.

All five's terror mounted as they drove deeper, deeper, deeper into the bank. Just as they were beginning to think the goblin was deceiving them, they arrived outside the door to the Lestrange vault.

The goblin approached the door almost mechanically, and placed his hand on it. They could hear the locks inside churning and turning, then the door slowly opened.

"Is there anything we should know about the defences on this vault? Tell me," Hermione commanded, clambering out of the cart, the others not far behind her.

"Don't touch anything. It will burn and multiply," the goblin said in monotone, causing Hermione to wince.

She nodded and stepped forward cautiously, into the vault. She weaved her way around towering stacks of gold, jewels and ancient artefacts, but could not see anything that resembled a cup or a diadem.

"There it is!" she heard Ron whisper in her ear, and she turned in the direction the voice had come from.

That was when Hermione spotted it; a small cup perched on a high shelf that would not be possible to get without touching something.

"_Accio cup!"_

It did not move. Groaning, she turned to where she thought he friends were standing. "Any ideas?"

"Conjure a long stick or something that you could pick the cup up with," said Lily's voice helpfully.

Hermione nodded her thanks and conjured a long metal rod, which she extended and used to pick up the cup through one of its handles. "Got it."

She pulled back the rod and dropped it into the small bag she seemed to carry with her everywhere. "Let's go."

They made a speedy exit and climbed back into the cart, Hermione commanding the goblin to take them back up to the main hall.

Hearts still pounding with fear, they got out of the cart, then went through a small door that led them through into the grand main hall.

"_Stupefy!"_

All five of them ducked on instinct, watching as the red spell flew over their heads, hitting the goblin. They turned, then gasped in horror. The hall was a mess, no longer the splendid place they had entered only an hour ago. The reason - a large group of Death Eaters standing in the centre of the hall. There was no time to wonder how or why; they just had to fight.

Both Cloaks were pulled off - they wanted nothing on that could hinder their movement.

Two Death Eaters went down in their first attack of spells, one Stunned and the other struck with a Body-Bind Curse.

"_Protego!" _someone - James thought it was Hermione - shouted, and the familiar safety shield surrounded all five of them to give them a small rest.

"_Avada Kedavra!" _was shouted by a Death Eater and James threw himself to the ground, narrowly missing the streak of green light. He jumped to his feet, and retaliated.

"_Petrificus Totalus!"_

The Death Eater's arms and legs snapped together and he fell to the ground, unable to move.

"_Crucio!"_

This time, James did not dodge the spell in time. He felt _pain _- _pain _all over his body. He heard someone screaming, then realised that someone was him.

"_Sectumsempra!" _he heard a voice yell, and the pain stopped. Shakily climbing to his feet, he saw Harry grimacing, then turned to see why.

His attacker lay in a pool of blood, with wounds all over his body - blood was running freely out of them, and James had to resist his sudden urge to vomit.

He shook his head and turned back to their remaining opponents. He could not afford to be squeamish in battle.

"_Stupefy!" _was shouted again, this time by a Death Eater. The spell shot past James's ear and Hermione was down. He heard Lily curse.

"_Ennervate!" _Harry yelled, and Hermione was back up again.

Now only two Death Eaters remained, and with a jolt James recognized one as being Bellatrix Lestrange.

The other Death Eater was down now, also Stunned (though James had not seen who by). Now only Bellatrix was left.

"_Crucio!" _Well, that was predictable.

It was five against one, but a few minutes later they were still losing.

Suddenly (and it was a surprise for all of them), she leapt forward, grabbed _something_, then apparated away.

Nobody had any time to react. James turned, wondering what she'd grabbed, praying it wasn't the cup. It wasn't.

It was Ron.

**Cliffhanger. Please review!**

**I'm annoyed by how the spells aren't real words. There are too many squiggly red lines on this word document!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Took a while for me to update, but I'm back at school. Expect an update every week now.  
**

**Short chapter, but is very important to the plot of this story. Which is not a Deathly Hallows rewrite. I hate it when authors say that it's a completely new story, but just write the actual book in slightly less words and add in random lines for the people who have changed times. Hopefully, this is not what I have done.**

Hermione had apparated them all back to Grimmauld Place, and was now sitting in an armchair, staring at the wall blankly. Harry wasn't in a much better state.

This left Lily and James who, while quite fond of Ron and upset that he had been captured, were not despairing. They had tried to plan, with Hermione and Harry and without, but to no avail. They had no clue where Bellatrix had taken Ron, and without knowing that they could not help.

It was only when they started going up to bed that something useful happened.

Harry had gone into his room, only to be faced with a sniggering Phineas Nigellus Black. This surprised Harry; the old headmaster had been spending more time in his portrait in Hogwarts and only popped up from time to time. While this unsettled Harry, Hermione had assured him that the Fidelius prevented Snape from telling the public anything that Phineas saw happen in Grimmauld Place.

"I have a message for you," the portrait told him snidely.

"From who? Snape? Then I'm not listening," Harry shot back.

Phineas raised an eyebrow. "The sender wished to remain anonymous. All I'm going to say is that it could have been the headmaster - but then it also could have been one of your friends at school."

Harry froze. "One of my friends sent me a message?"

"It's a possibility."

"Then I'd like to hear it," he said quickly. "Please."

"The sender suggested you go to Malfoy Manor sometime." Phineas disappeared, obviously back in his other portrait.

Harry shot out the room, calling the names of the other three occupants. They were all beside him within a minute, and Harry told them all of what had just happened.

Hermione bit her lip worriedly. "So it could have been one of our friends. But then it could also have been Snape. The question is, do we trust this sender?"

"We're going to have to," James replied grimly. "If there's a chance we could save Ron, we have to take it."

Lily nodded. "We need another plan."

Harry shook his head. "There's no time - we need to save Ron, and _fast_. He isn't safe. Anything could happen to him."

Hermione raised her eyebrows sceptically. "So you're saying we should just go now and wing it?"

"We don't know what we're going to face, so there's no point in planning," Harry told her.

James nodded his understanding. "I get what you're saying. Right now, the biggest advantage we have is surprise. We should exploit this, otherwise there would be no point in having an advantage."

"So we go now?" Lily asked.

"Yes. There's no point in putting it off - Ron might need us."

Hermione nodded, and five minutes later they all stood outside the gate that led into Malfoy Manor.

"How do we get in?" Hermione whispered.

"Wait until a Death Eater comes along and try to get in at the same time," Harry whispered back. "Come on, everyone get under a Cloak."

They complied, too terrified to object or even reply.

They stood there for about half an hour growing steadily colder. They started considering turning back and waiting until the next day, when Harry suddenly pointed out a cloaked figure approaching the gate.

"Quickly follow, and don't get left behind."

The Death Eater approached the gate, raising an arm as he did so. They watched, their mouths hanging open, as he passed through the gate as if it was smoke. Nobody attempted to follow; they knew it would have been impossible.

To their surprise, the Death Eater did not walk on straight away. He drew his wand and turned to the lock, a sudden flash of blue light coming out of it. The gate glowed blue, then returned to its original colour. The Death Eater walked on up the driveway and then went into the house.

The four approached the gate cautiously. Harry reached out his hand from under the cloak and went to touch it. To their surprise, it went straight through. He stepped forward, pulling Hermione along with him, and was able to walk through the gate and arrive at the other side. James and Lily followed his example, then all four just turned and gaped at the gate.

For some reason, intentional or not, that Death Eater had _helped _them.

**Please review this little baby chapter! The next chapter should be up soon. Does anyone have any guesses what is going on, why and how?**


	12. Chapter 12

**Was posting my already written chapters, then thought 'wait a sec, need to write more', so here I am!**

There was no time to puzzle over the mystery though – they were inside the gates. That was all that mattered.

"Where would _you _keep a high-security prisoner?" Harry whispered, staring at the manor with a little anxiety.

"Somewhere where no-one could get at them," James whispered back unhelpfully. He could imagine Harry rolling his eyes, and knew that his companion was doing exactly that.

"That doesn't help," Lily hissed at him, on edge.

"There may be a meeting going on," Hermione suggested. "They might mention… Well, we might find out where he is." She found she could not speak Ron's name for fear of dissolving into very loud, very embarrassing tears.

"Good plan as any," Harry led them towards the front door which opened, much to their surprise. They quickly stepped over the threshold, drawing the conclusion that the door was opened by magic, and therefore the enterers did not need to be visible.

They now stood in a cold, dark corridor. The walls were lined with portraits of pale-faced people whose eyes moved around at a disconcerting pace. Many doors were closed or propped open slightly, but the one that drew their attention was the one nearest to them. Voices were drifting out and the door was closed firmly shut.

"_Muffliato!"_

Hermione's spell allowed them to confer without being overheard.

"We can't just go straight in there. They'd notice the door opening," Lily said worriedly. "I bet there's no other way in."

"We don't have to get in," James told her. "We just have to hear what they're talking about."

"I'm surprised they didn't have better defences," Harry raised his eyebrows. "They must have been expecting us. It just seems…"

"Too perfect? Too convenient?" Hermione finished, and he nodded.

"There's something not quite right about this."

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

The door burst open and the Death Eaters jumped out. The four of them ducked, the curses missing them, but the cloak slipped off in the process.

James and Lily went to immediately hide their faces, but the attention of their attackers was not focussed on them; instead, they were particularly interested by Harry and Hermione. The two of them were surrounded, with about eight wands pointed at them. They had no hope in getting away, even if James and Lily helped.

Somehow, Harry managed to catch James's eye amidst all the chaos. His mouth was moving – he was mouthing something… _Go._

James shook his head violently. They couldn't leave! They couldn't leave Harry and Hermione here, at the mercy of the Death Eaters.

Harry's mouth was moving again. James watched intently. _Find Ron._

James went to shake his head again, but then he stopped. The request was reasonable. He (and Lily, of course) couldn't do anything to help their companions without being recognized. However, if they found Ron, _he_ could help them. Making up his mind, he nodded slowly, grabbing Lily's arm.

James sent Harry and Hermione an apologetic look, then the two ran to a safe place to discuss their strategy.

"You go up, I'll go down," he panted urgently. "I know we shouldn't be separated, but we'll cover more distance that way and we'll find Ron in a shorter amount of time."

Lily looked reluctant at the prospect of going on alone, but she nodded. "Fine. But whatever happens, don't get captured. One person – or maybe two if we find Ron – can't help free Harry and Hermione."

James flashed her a quick smile. "I'll be safe. You be safe as well."

Lily nodded. "We should go." Giving him a quick peck on the cheek, she turned and ran toward the nearest staircase, leading to the top of the manor.

Once she reached the top, she looked around, trying to swallow her fear. The appearance of the manor did nothing to help – if reminded her too much of those Muggle horror movies Petunia had forced her to watch when they still could abide each other.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Lily continued moving, this time at a faster pace. All of the rooms on either side of the corridor were empty – she reached the next staircase and hurried up that, entertaining the thought of just using _accio_. She knew that would never work. The Death Eaters would have thought of that.

Empty. Empty. Empty. Lily supposed they could have silenced Ron and placed him under a Disillusionment Charm in one of the rooms. This was unlikely. Death Eaters weren't exactly the cleverest people in the world, and even if they had, Lily had always had a strange ability to know when something wasn't quite right.

She couldn't see through Invisibility Cloaks or Charms – she doubted anyone could do that – but she had always been able to see where the light bended weirdly around _something _that was there, unseen. That was not the case in any of these rooms.

Up another staircase. Lily was beginning to doubt the likelihood of Ron being up there, and was drawing the conclusion that James would find him, not her.

Footsteps. Lily froze, her eyes darting up and down the corridor. She saw nothing, but could hear the distinct sound of footsteps. There was nowhere to hide, and no time to disguise herself.

She backed up into the shadows, praying whoever was coming wouldn't see her.

It was Snape. Lily had to keep herself from gasping out loud. The sight of her childhood friends as a _Death Eater _was, well, terrifying. She had known previously that he was turning dark, but now the reality hit her.

She had not escaped his notice. She watched as something blossomed his dark, black eyes – was it pain? Sorrow?

In fascination, she stared as he put a finger to his lips, then drew something out of his cloak, pressing it into her hands. Then he was gone.

He had given her the sword of Godric Gryffindor.

**And I know your first reaction is 'WHY THE HELL DID HE HAVE SUCH A SMALL REACTION? HE'S IN LOVE WITH HER, AND HE HASN'T SEEN HER FOR AGES! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?'**

**It's all worked out! I know it's a small reaction, but I have it all planned out. So no reviews like the above, please.**

**Next chapter will probably come next week, but I have no school on Monday so it may come earlier... Not making any promises, though!  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**Early update! Be grateful and review generously!  
**

**I got poked a lot today. If you want to hear the story, read this author's note – if you don't, just skip down to the story.**

**So a group of friends and I were doing an English project about humanity. We were making a film about clones, whether they where human or not and whether it would be acceptable to kill a clone, et cetera. In one scene I was the clone, and it was meant to be set in a school – we got some of my classmates to surround me and whisper amongst themselves, just to show how the clone didn't belong. Anyway, one of my friends was directing and encouraging them, and she said, "Just whisper amongst yourselves. Say things like 'I heard she's a clone' and one person can poke her." I swear I almost got poked to death.**

**Anyway, on with the chapter!**

Meanwhile, James had been descending a set of stairs that seemed to go on forever. He probably only spent a few minutes going down them, but it felt like eternity.

Finally, he stood outside a heavily locked wooden door. James was almost certain this was where Ron was being kept prisoner. Despite his haste, he raised an eyebrow; it seemed odd that the Death Eaters would use Muggle means to imprison their enemies when magic could have been just as effective.

He shook his head. He was being paranoid – there was no time for that.

James studied the door carefully. Would a simple _alohamora _open it, or would it take something more complicated?

"_Alohamora."_

Unsurprisingly, nothing happened. James gritted his teeth. This was going to be more difficult than he'd anticipated. He rapped on the door.

"Ron! Ron, mate, you in there?"

A weak voice murmured a "yes".

"You hurt?"

"My right leg feels like it's a broken. Could be a sprain, but I can't walk."

James cursed. That wouldn't exactly help the two deserted members of the group.

"Got a wand?"

Ron's voice immediately became noticeably prouder. "Down my sock. Managed to stuff it down there while apparating. Death Eaters didn't even think to check if I had anything they couldn't see."

James snorted, even though it was a totally inappropriate situation to do so. "Right, I'm gonna try and get you out of there. Was there any particular way they got you in?"

"Nah – I was knocked out cold as soon as I got here. Don't even know where I am – in case I managed to get in touch with you, I guess. But – " here James could imagine him smirking " – I'd wager good old fashioned methods might be the safest bet."

As soon as he had heard the idea, James was completely convinced it would work. He instructed Ron to stay back.

"I'm about as far from the door as possible already," was the response.

James drew his wand.

"_Incendio!"_

The door burst into flames. Luckily, the fire didn't spread onto the stone walls and floor, but just slowly enveloped the wood until it was all in flames. That was when James lifted the spell, peering into the room.

Ron sat in the corner, propped up on his elbows. His right leg was splayed out at an odd angle and, while no healer, James could tell it was badly injured.

"C'mon – we have to get to the others."

He managed to pull Ron up. The two made their way out of the basement and up the stairs, Ron leaning heavily on James.

AAAAA

Lily stood still in the corridor, staring at the sword in her hands. It was beautiful – rubies glinted at the hilt and the original owner's name had been engraved along the blade. She doubted anything man-made could be this stunning.

Why had Snape given it to her? It made no sense – he was most definitely a Death Eater, most definitely on the opposite side to them – he had killed Dumbledore, for heaven's sake!

Her head was beginning to ache with all the suspicions and theories that kept flitting in and out, each one more confusing and unrealistic than the one before it.

Lily gathered that Ron was not there – hoping that James had found him, she turned and ran as fast as she could down the stairs she had alighted only minutes before, gripping the hilt of the sword as hard as she could.

"Lily!" a familiar voice called, and she turned toward the source of the noise. James was approaching her slowly, his normal speed hindered by the figure leaning on him. While Ron had tried his best to be helpful and not a burden, his hurt leg had prevented him from doing just that.

"We have Ron," James said grimly when they neared. "I found him in – wait, why do you have a _sword_?"

"I'll tell you when we get back to Grimmauld," Lily told him. "Let's get Harry and Hermione back before we start telling stories."

"What? Aren't they here?" Ron asked urgently, the news new to him.

James and Lily looked at each other nervously. "The Death Eaters have them. So we need to – "

"Need to what?"

All three looked up, startled. Harry and Hermione were running towards them, slightly out of breath.

"How did you escape?" James asked them.

"I think we've got a guardian angel or something," Harry gave a slight grin. "First we're told to come to Malfoy Manor. Then someone opens the gate for us. Then our Death Eater friends get attacked by _someone_. We don't know who, because we had to escape before they called You-Know-Who. Shame, because I'd like to thank them."

"Got a sword as well," James indicated the long object in Lily's hand, causing the two who hadn't seen it yet to gape at it.

"I suppose we'd better get back to Grimmauld then," Hermione said, tearing her gaze away from the sword.

The others nodded. They needed some down-time.

**There's been quite a lot of action in the last few chapters, but everything should calm down a bit for a while, now. Which means more character-based chapters, which I find easier to write!**

**Anyway, please review!**

**Also, if anyone is interested in seeing what I actually look like, look on my deviantART account of the same name.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Another chapter? I'm really spoiling you guys, taking into account the last chapter only got three reviews. I'm hurt.  
**

**Not going to be much action chapters for a while now, I'm afraid. I'm rather proud of this chapter.**

**Warning: Use of bad language in this and an angry Harry. **

**Everyone may be a bit OOC in this. Sorry if they are – just take into account they're all a bit emotional and confused. **

"So where did you get the sword?" Hermione asked, crossing her legs and taking a sip of hot chocolate.

The last few hours had been spent bathing, eating and looking at Ron's leg. It had been badly sprained, but it was not broken; he had been instructed by Kreacher to keep his leg up and keep it easy until it healed or they found a way to speed up the process.

The five of them now sat in the living room, finally ready to discuss what had happened and what their next move would be.

Lily took a deep breath, wondering what the others' reactions would be. "Snape gave it to me."

"WHAT?" the other four were on their feet, and she waved them down, wanting to explain further and not be interrupted.

"I heard footsteps, and there was no time to hide. He didn't do anything – he just gave me the sword and walked away."

"That's all that happened?" Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "Why would he do that?"

"He could be helping us?" Lily suggested hesitantly, but the others shook their heads violently.

"He killed Dumbledore, Lily, he's not on our side," James told her. "I know he used to be your friend, but he's a Death Eater now."

"Think about it!" she protested. "First we were told to go to Malfoy Manor, and it could have been Snape! Then, a _Death Eater _let us through the gates! Then Snape gave me the sword to _destroy the Horcruxes_. Then, someone saved us! It makes sense! Snape could be helping us!"

Her outburst seemed to silence the others effectively.

"We could get Phineas Nigellus to send him a message," Hermione said doubtfully, looking at Harry with a tentative expression.

"HE KILLED DUMBLEDORE!" Harry shouted, trying to get his message across. "HE'S NOT TO BE TRUSTED! WHY DO NONE OF YOU GET THAT?"

"We do, Harry, but at least give him a chance!" Hermione said desperately, trying to calm him down.

Harry looked like he was about to shout again, but Ron quickly interrupted him. "Harry, mate, think about it. Everyone at least deserves a chance – and the evidence does show it could be Snape that's helping us."

"HE'S A FUCKING DEATH EATER!" Harry shouted, glaring at all four of them and storming out the room.

Lily got up and silently left, through the opposite door to Harry.

Ron struggled to get up, Hermione going over to help him. The two left, obviously to find Harry.

James went to find Lily.

He found her in her bedroom, sitting in the window, silent tears running down her face.

"Go away," she said quietly, but James did not.

He slowly approached her, sitting down next to her. "What's the matter?"

"Go away," she insisted, turning away from him.

He reached out to touch her shoulder, but she shrugged his hand off. She turned to face him, eyes blazing through her tears.

"Just go away!" she hissed. "You don't know what it's like! My _best friend _is a Death Eater! I don't know where the _fuck _we are, or why our son is in the middle of this! So just leave me be!"

"My best friend is dead," he told her quietly.

"Better dead than Death Eater," Lily said bitterly, then suddenly looked up fearfully. "Sorry James, I didn't mean – "

But he was gone.

She buried her face in her knees and began to cry in earnest.

Ron and Hermione found Harry sitting in the library, pale and shaking.

"Sorry," he said quietly. "I was wrong. He's helping us."

They exchanged startled glances, obviously confused about the lack of need to talk Harry out of his anger.

"Why do you think that now?" Hermione asked him.

"It was a vision," Harry looked sick. "I think Voldemort suspected something – that he had something to do with our side. I don't think he knew Snape was helping us, otherwise it would be much worse." He grimaced. "It was _horrible_."

"Do you want to send him a message?" Ron suggested, and Harry nodded violently.

"Not right now," Hermione warned them. "Everyone needs a rest. We're all a bit emotional."

Ron agreed enthusiastically (Hermione was sure his leg hurt a lot more than he let on), and Harry grumbled but consented.

Hermione cast a worried look at the ceiling. "I'm sure James and Lily can sort themselves out. They can go to sleep when they're ready." She turned to Harry. "Do you want us all to sleep together?"

Both Ron and Harry nodded. None of them wanted to be alone.

Half an hour had passed, and Lily had composed herself slightly. She made to get up – her legs ached so much – and she slowly walked to the bathroom.

She grimaced when she looked in the mirror. Her cheeks were blotchy, and her eyes were red. She wasn't one to care about her looks, but she looked horrid. Unable to bear looking at her helpless face anymore she walked out the bathroom – only to walk straight into Harry.

Harry observed his mother shrewdly. "What's the matter?"

"What do you think?" Lily replied – not in an accusing manner, an expressionless one.

Harry sighed. "I believe you now. I think Snape is helping us."

"I don't."

"What?" Harry's face was extremely confused. "Look – I find you to say I believe you now, and then I'm told you don't believe yourself? That's hardly what I want to hear."

Lily turned away. "I'm sorry. It's just – it's just it's too hard for me to cope with it. My best friend is a Death Eater, even if he's a good one. He must have been bad to begin with, before he was good. So – is he bad in my time? Is he plotting to join Voldemort?"

She could feel tears stinging her eyes again. "What's this war got to do with you?" she choked out. "Where are we, our future selves? None of it makes any sense."

Harry regarded her sympathetically. "Get James. I suppose it's time I told you both the full story."

"He's angry with me." Lily bit her lip.

"Then make up. There's no time for splitting up. Meet us in the library when you're ready." Harry turned to go back down the stairs again, but Lily leaned forward and grabbed his shoulder.

"I don't know what's going on yet, but I can tell you – and I'm sure my future self would if she was here – that I'm really proud of you."

Harry looked like he was struggling for something to say to this, and settled with a simple "Thanks."

Lily nodded, smiled, then began her search for James.

Meanwhile, Harry made his way downstairs to Ron and Hermione, the first true smile on his face since they had left the Burrow.

**Please review! Let's try for seven and get to a hundred! The hundredth reviewer will be added to my favourite authors and I'll review one of their stories. And they get a virtual cookie and my love. Is that a good enough reward?  
**

**Lily's freak-out part one. James's will come, but not necessarily next chapter. And don't think Lily's freak-out is over! There you go, silverbirch. I hope that's good enough for you!  
This story has been on the net for exactly a month now!  
**


	15. Chapter 15

**Small preview chapter. The proper week's chapter will be up tomorrow.**

"James."

He looked up and glared at her.

"_Better dead than Death Eater_. At least you can talk to Snape if you want to."

"James…"

"I understand you were upset, Lily, but the world doesn't revolve around you."

"James, listen – "

"I thought I was supposed to be the big-headed, arrogant, self-centred one…"

"James!"

"What?" James raised his eyebrow.

"Harry wants us. He's going to tell us about what's going on. Why our future selves are here."

"I already know that one."

Lily winced. James was in a cutting mood. "Well, he's going to tell us why he's so involved. So come on, we're meeting him in the library."

James gave her a withering look, but he got to his feet. "Let's go, then."

"James, I'm sorry – "

"I don't want to hear it. I'll forgive you when I feel like it."

He strode out the room, leaving Lily alone and upset.

**Review please, even if you are disappointed by the length.**

**Proper chapter will come tomorrow.**


	16. Chapter 16

**You know how I said I always try to have a 1000 word limit? Well, minus the author's notes, this chapter is exactly 1000 words long!**

**More emotional stuff in this chapter. I had to reread the chapter in OOTP where Dumbledore basically explains everything. The thing is, I only own three of the Potter books (I know! What sort of fan am I?) and I'm really glad that OOTP is one of them. But enough rambling, on with the chapter!**

Harry looked up as his parents entered the library. He had spent the last few minutes wondering whether his decision had been for the best, and he still wasn't sure; however, he had promised the full story, and the full story was what he was going to give.

Ron and Hermione sat beside him for two reasons – the first was because of his need for support, and the other was simply so he didn't miss out anything.

Once James and Lily were seated (Harry noticed with confusion the slight coldness between them), he began.

"It all started – well it started before I was born, really. A prophecy was made by Sybill Trelawney which changed everything."

"What was it?" Lily asked in a hushed tone of voice.

Harry closed his eyes, recalling the prophecy that had changed his life. "_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…_"

"And it meant _you_?" James asked.

"It could have meant two people," Harry replied. "Myself or Neville Longbottom. Frank Longbottom's son." He clarified.

The news their good friend had a son did not deter them from the story.

"But the Dark Lord – Voldemort – thought it meant me. So he decided to kill me, so no-one had the power to vanquish him," Harry continued, then he sighed. "The next part's going to be hard for all of us, so please just let me finish."

The others nodded, Ron and Hermione sympathetically, Lily and James apprehensively.

"Voldemort turned up at our house in Godric's Hollow on Halloween, 1981. He killed Dad straight away." Tears began to form in his eyes. "He went upstairs to get me, but Mum shielded me. Said to take her instead. And he did." Harry began to cry in earnest. "But the thing was, h-he tried to k-kill me afterwards, but he c-couldn't. M-mum protected me. She s-sacrificed herself."

He stared up at the two shell-shocked faces and then said with resolve, "So yes, the prophecy refers to me. And _I must be the one to kill Voldemort_. Neither can live while the other survives."

Lily felt tears well up in her eyes for the umpteenth time that night. "Harry – " She couldn't continue – nothing she could say seemed appropriate.

Hermione helped Ron up and the two left the room silently, leaving Harry, James and Lily alone.

Harry buried his face in his hands and cried – properly – not caring about showing weakness. Lily was on her feet and by his side in an instant.

"Harry – I said this earlier, but I'm going to say it again. I am _so _proud of you. No-one should have to worry about these things one their own, and you did at such an early age." She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer.

James was beside them soon afterwards, placing his arm around Harry's shoulders and burying his face into Lily's shoulder. All three stayed there quite comfortably while night turned to day, seeking comfort in each other.

AAAAAAAAAA

Lily awoke, though she had no recollection of falling asleep. She looked up and saw the silhouetted sleeping faces of Harry and James against the light seeping in through the curtains. Not wanting to disturb them, she made her way to the kitchen, wondering whether Kreacher could make her some coffee.

She found Hermione sitting at the table, and, giving her a small smile, sat down to join her. Hermione broke the silence.

"You know, I was glad when you and James turned up."

Lily looked up. "Oh?"

"I was tired of being the only girl," Hermione gave a small smile. "I mean, Ron and Harry are great, but sometimes you need to be with someone with the same gender. But I never felt like I got to know you that well."

Lily nodded. "I know what you mean. I thought girls were meant to stick together."

Hermione grinned. "Well, we might was well start getting to know each other better now."

Lily straightened. "Favourite colour?"

"Blue. Favourite author?"

"It's old-fashioned, but Enid Blyton. Worst moment ever?"

And so the two spent a few happy hours bonding, leaving both with a feeling of satisfaction.

AAAAAAAAAA

Harry blinked and rubbed his eyes. One thing he had learned from the night before was that crying was _exhausting_. He ached all over and still felt slightly hysterical.

Harry glanced around the room, and was given quite a shock when he realised he wasn't alone. James was sitting quietly in the corner, reading a book with unconcealed disgust. At Harry's slight cough he looked up.

"You're awake."

Harry ran his hand sheepishly through his hair. "You didn't have to wait."

James smiled. "I figured you wouldn't want to be alone when you woke up."

Harry's face reddened a little, slightly embarrassed by his emotional surge the night before. "Yeah, sorry about being so – "

He didn't get to finish, as James had fixed him with a glare. "Don't say _sorry_. It wasn't your fault."

Harry nodded, albeit slightly reluctantly. Then he raised an eyebrow. "So what's got you so annoyed at Mum?"

James was caught off guard by the abrupt subject change. "What?"

"Do you think I'm blind?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "I would have noticed it even if Mum hadn't already told me."

"I would rather not say," James bit his lip.

"Well, at least forgive her. We can't run the risk of me not being born in the future."

James let out a short laugh. "I'll see what I can do about that."

**Please review! Also, don't worry, the explaining is not over! There is a _lot _to come still!  
**

**Random fact: I own two copies on the first five films. I got a box set, but I wanted the ones with special features. So I have two copies. The first five films with special features I bought off Amazon for a grand total of £10 (about $16). That's a bargain!**


	17. Chapter 17

**I have just realised in this WHOLE fic there has not been a disclaimer. Not one. Which means I could be J.K Rowling. I could be the creator of Potter! Writing fanfiction because I wanted to write alternate endings!**

**Pfft. Seriously guys, POTTER NOT MINE. However, an oreo is mine. And I am eating it now. It is the epitome of yumminess. I love the word 'epitome'.**

***stares at what I've already written* I don't know how you put up with me. Anyways, chapter is here and is hopefully cool and stuffs.**

The five were sitting in the library again, much the same as the last night. The difference, however, was that Lily sat comfortably next to James, her head on his shoulder. Evidently they had kissed and made up.

Harry took a deep, steadying breath. "Okay – so, like last time, just let me finish. _Please._ It'll be easier for all of us that way."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"So, Dumbledore figured Voldemort had heard the prophecy and knew we weren't safe. He recommended the Fidelius Charm."

"That's the one where one person becomes Secret Keeper and is the only person who can give out the whereabouts of the location?" Lily clarified, receiving a positive response.

Harry continued. "Of course, the obvious choice for Secret Keeper would have been – "

"Padfoot," James nodded.

"Yes – however, Sirius had an idea."

James smiled wryly. "Sirius has two types of ideas – excellent ones and terrible ones. Which one was it?"

Harry bit his lip. "It would have been an excellent idea if executed properly." Seeing his parents' confused faces, he explained. "Sirius's idea was to lead everyone to believe he was the Secret Keeper, when in fact it was the person everyone would suspect the least – _Peter_."

James's eyes flashed. "I dearly hope that you're not going to go anywhere with this, otherwise – " He left the threat hanging.

Wincing, Harry continued the explanation. "Sadly, I _am _going somewhere with this. We all know from yesterday what happened that night. The Secret Keeper hadn't changed."

"WHAT?" James was on his feet, eyes blazing. Lily sat silently, cold fury emanating in bucketloads.

"THAT TRAITOROUS, MURDEROUS, BACKSTABBING RAT!" James was ranting, and he knew it. His hand had encircled his wand, he was going to get that rat, he didn't care he was supposed to be dead, he was going to get that rat…

A bookcase exploded.

All heads wept around to see Lily tuck her wand into her pocket, satisfaction evident. "Please continue."

Slightly scared by his mother's tone, Harry did as she requested.

"Then, well, there was obviously a huge crowd of Muggles. I think the cover story was a gas leak…"

"Quit stalling," said James impatiently. "What happened?"

"Sirius went after Pettigrew," Harry said quietly. "But Pettigrew escaped. He caused a massive explosion, cut off his finger and turned into a rat. He hid in the sewers."

Both James and Lily's faces were murderous.

"He cut off his finger so it would seem like Sirius had destroyed him. And it definitely worked – Sirius was taken off to Azkaban."

Looking at his parents' faces, Harry just decided to say everything. Their anger couldn't increase further from what it already was. "Without a trial."

"WHAT?" Okay, perhaps he was wrong.

"SO DEATH EATERS GET A TRIAL, BUT AN INNOCENT MAN DOESN'T? THE JUSTICE BEHIND THAT – "

"THOSE WRETCHED, INCOMPETENT – "

"THAT RAT, I'M GONNA GET HIM – "

Harry let them rant for a good ten minutes, until they calmed down slightly. Then he continued.

"Then, I was taken by Hagrid to my only family, where I would spend the next sixteen years. My aunt and uncle."

Lily's expression changed to one of shock. She turned to James. "Please, please tell me you have siblings."

James shook his head, bewildered. "No, I'm an only child."

"So, you went to Tuney – but she hates magic… and me… so I would guess you as well… And if she's married to that guy – what's his name? Dursley?"

Harry nodded grimly. "All statement are correct. Let's move on."

He really didn't want to discuss the Dursleys.

"Then everything started on Dudley's – that my cousin – birthday…"

Harry went on the explain about his first year of Hogwarts, about how he had met Ron and Hermione, about the Norwegian Ridgeback, about the Philosopher's Stone. All his stories were accompanied by exclaims, laughter, tenseness and anger from his future parents – they were exceedingly good listeners.

Heartened slightly, he continued with his second year, Ron and Hermione helping him. He didn't want to miss the slightest detail.

Then he was ready to begin the third year.

"I got _really _angry with the Dursleys that year, and stormed off about two weeks before term started," he remembered. "I was rescued by the Knight Bus which I accidentally called."

"How did you accidentally call it?" Lily asked, confused.

"I was surprised by a large, black dog. I had raised my wand to protect myself," Harry replied, watching James's eyes light up slightly in recognition. "So once I was on the Knight Bus, I saw Stan Shunpike – the conductor – reading the _Daily Prophet_. He told me about someone who had escaped Azkaban – Sirius Black."

"He escaped _Azkaban_?" Lily asked faintly, but she still looked a little relieved.

"You don't know Padfoot like I do, Lils. He's the exception to every rule," James's mood had got considerably lighter after hearing of his friend's escape.

Harry smiled, and kept on explaining up to the Hogwarts Express.

"We couldn't find an empty compartment, so we sat in one with a sleeping man in it. According to his case, his name was Professor R.J Lupin."

Both James and Lily gave shocked noises.

"Well, this year has lots of familiar faces," James said slightly jokingly, glad at least one of his friends was safe and (ignoring the werewolf problem) well.

The rest of the day was spent explaining through the rest of their Hogwarts years, meals brought to them by Kreacher.

"So now you know everything," Hermione finished, as Harry's voice had become hoarse after too much talking. "And I think we all need a rest and can do something useful tomorrow."

Ron nodded. "Like sending a note to Snape."

To his surprise, no-one argued – they all just nodded tiredly and retired to their rooms.

**It's finally finished. This chapter took me forever to write.**

**I'm sorry, I would have had him explain everything and have their reactions to everything but I haven't got the patience to do that. I apologise, but I hope what I _did_ write was good enough for you! I may put up a one-shot with all the explaining in at a later date.  
**

**Please review, my little chickens! **

…**Don't ask. Just back away slowly.**


	18. Chapter 18

**These chapters are getting harder to write – does it seem like it's dragging to you? Is it going too fast? Or is it the right pace?**

**Please read the author's note at the bottom!  
**

The next day dawned bright and early, unwelcome to all of them. Still, no-one could put off getting out of bed for very long, meaning all five met accidentally in the kitchen.

"Now we can start getting stuff done," Harry said in satisfaction once they were all sitting down. "We've been sitting around doing nothing for too long."

James raised an eyebrow. "Harry, we've been doing nothing for _two days_. That's not very long at all."

"Voldemort hasn't been doing nothing," Harry retorted, more jokingly than seriously.

"So we're using Phineas Nigellus to send a message to Snape, who may or may not be on our side?" Hermione asked, receiving a nod from Harry. "Don't you think that's a little – risky?"

"If we don't take risks, we won't win this war," Ron said dismissively. "And I'm pretty sure most of us think Snape is good. For some odd reason, I include myself."

Lily nodded. "As do I."

It turned out that everyone _did _feel the same way, so they planned to send a message once they had finished breakfast.

"Er – Phineas?"

Phineas Nigellus Black fixed Harry with a slightly annoyed glare. "What? I'm not telling you the source of that message, so don't be impertinent."

"We think we know the source of the message," James spoke up. "We'd like to send a message to Snape."

"I'm not a messenger," the portrait snapped irritably.

"We know you're not, we just need you to do us a favour," Lily told him.

Phineas regarded her. "And what would this message be?"

Lily's mouth opened and closed again. To be honest, they hadn't decided yet on this part of the plan.

"Tell him we'd like to speak with him," Harry interrupted. "We'll meet him in the graveyard in Godric's Hollow in an hour. We will be armed."

The portrait groaned, but disappeared. A few minutes later he was back.

"The headmaster accepts."

He disappeared once more.

The five stared at each other apprehensively, wondering what they'd let themselves in for.

"Well, I guess we're doing something now," Hermione let out a nervous laugh.

Harry smiled slightly. "Well, we have an hour. We might as well have some fun before we confront Snape."

"I can't move," Ron told him slightly plaintively, causing the green-eyed boy to roll his eyes and help out of the room.

The other three followed them out, but went in separate directions – Hermione following the two who had left, James and Lily towards a small sitting room.

"Alone again," Lily said dryly, causing James to chuckle a little.

"You know you love it."

Lily grinned and put on a mock-angry voice. "No, Potter, I will not go out with you, for the hundredth time!"

The laugh they shared was quick; neither of them felt it was appropriate in the current circumstances. Both just settled for staring at each other in a comfortable silence.

Lily was the first to break it; she spoke softly and carefully, as if a wrong word or loud noise would dissolve the moment.

"Kiss me."

James happily obliged.

The two drew apart slowly, savouring the moment; too soon, though, they were sitting upright and in their previous positions.

"Well, what should we do?" Lily asked after a while. "I'm really not in the mood to sit around."

"We could look through Sirius's room," James stood up eagerly.

Lily gave him a quizzical look. "Any reason why you're so eager?"

James dropped back down. "I miss them."

Lily nodded, understanding. "I know."

AAAAAAAAAA

Meanwhile, the other three were playing charades. Hermione could tell they were failing dismally.

Ron raised his eyebrows and Harry's odd actions.

"A demented chicken?"

Harry lowered his arms, confused. "Why on _earth _would I be impersonating a demented chicken?"

"It's what it looked like," Ron shrugged. "A constipated duck?"

Hermione sighed. This was going to be _long _day.

AAAAAAAAAA

"Why does Sirius have a Chudley Cannons programme?"

James looked up from a pile of photographs. "No clue. He never liked them."

Lily snorted. "Was he a secret fan or something?"

James grinned. "Doubt it. Hey – look at this."

Lily turned to see James smiling at a piece of paper she supposed was a photograph. She curiously went to see.

"It's our wedding."

Lily peered at it, then straightened. "Let's go and find the others."

James nodded. They'd done enough looking.

AAAAAAAAAA

"An orc?"

"Who're you calling an orc?"

The trio looked up to see Lily and James standing the corner of the room.

"Wait – what's an orc?" Ron asked, James also signalling his confusion.

Hermione sighed. "Never mind."

"A flying teapot," Ron improvised wildly, causing the two newcomers' eyebrows to shoot up.

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked, almost scared to know the answer.

"We're playing charades – sort of," Hermione replied. "I don't think these two know the rules, so it's slightly amusing."

"Give me a break, I'm a pureblood, I don't know these things," Ron complained.

"No excuse why Harry doesn't know," Hermione pointed out.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "You think the Dursleys played charades with me?"

"Good point," Hermione conceded, but Lily and James were far from satisfied.

"And why wouldn't she think so?" Lily asked swiftly.

Harry seemed at loss as to what to say. "Well, the Dursleys weren't the – _friendliest_ of people."

"Evidently," James quipped frostily.

Harry groaned, annoyed. "Look, the Dursleys don't play a huge part in my life anymore. I don't even know where they are. I left them ages ago. So can we just forget about them?"

"Hmm," Lily was far from content, but she let the matter drop.

"Well – it seems like the hour's up," Hermione glanced at the clock.

Harry exhaled deeply. "Let's go, then."

**Okay everyone, I've had an idea that I'm really excited about. Basically, me and three other people will roleplay as the marauders (in a forum I will make specifically for this) as if we are writing letters to each other until September. Then I'll publish them as a story, with everyone credited.**

**So what I need is two people to be Prongs and Wormtail (I'm going to be Padfoot, and someone has already volunteered to be Moony) who are willing to keep this up until September. It's not all about the story that will be published, it's about having fun as well!**

**If you are interested please leave a review or PM me and I'll contact you at a later date.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Important: On Saturday I'm going on holiday for a week, so there may not be any updates for a while. However, I will still be writing on holiday, so I'll be able to get some more reserve chapters and updates will be quicker (for a while). Just an explanation for the lack of updates that will follow!  
**

The five stood anxiously in the corner of the graveyard, alert and with their wands by their sides.

They did not have to wait for long. On the opposite side of the graveyard, a silhouetted figure appeared, his back to them. Harry drew his wand and approached him, the others following behind.

"Severus Snape?"

The headmaster of Hogwarts turned. "It is I."

Harry kept his wand level with Snape's chest. "Explain."

Snape's eyes flitted towards the four behind. "With pleasure."

_He followed the two at a safe distance, watching the distinctive mane of red hair and unkempt black hair. He couldn't help that Lily had said yes – he couldn't help they were no longer on speaking terms – but he could at least make sure that Potter was treating her right._

_They were talking quite comfortably, he noticed; like old friends, they would chat and laugh – there was no sign of the hate Lily had always insisted she'd felt for James Potter. Well, at least she was happy – but if only that other person had been him…_

_That was when the Death Eaters attacked – there were seven or eight of them, but he really couldn't be sure. He was considering helping the two in danger – well, more specifically, Lily – but then that would lead to awkward questions. What had he been doing so close to them? How had he known when to help?_

_He sat there for five minutes, maybe, wondering what to do when it happened. He didn't know how, but somehow a spell had been triggered. Strangely enough, he'd recognized it – he had studied it in sixth year for help with his own spells. It was a time-travelling charm._

_They were back within seconds – a few words were passed between, then the two turned and sprinted back towards the castle. He didn't bother to follow._

_From then on, he was always on the lookout for those two, but he never found them. Until he had heard rumours within the Death Eater ranks that in the battle in Gringotts there were two people who looked suspiciously like James and Lily Potter. The Death Eaters had supposed that it was a way to trick them, and the Dark Lord wasn't informed. The information, however, stuck in his mind._

_He talked to Phineas Nigellus when he got back to his study. With a few bribes and flattering words, he ascertained all he needed to know – there was, indeed, a James Potter and Lily Evans staying in Number 12, Grimmauld Place._

_He had given Phineas the message to give to the five, then apparated (being headmaster of Hogwarts had privileges) to Malfoy Manor._

_He was the one who had unlocked the gate._

_He was the one who had managed to get the Sword of Gryffindor and gave it to Lily._

_He was the one who had freed Harry and Hermione._

This was the story he told the five, minus certain details, along with the rest of his story – how he was a spy, why he had killed Dumbledore and all the rest.

"And why should we believe you?" James asked sceptically, but was silenced with a reproachful look from Lily.

"I think he's telling the truth," Lily earned a slightly grateful, slightly longing look from Snape for her efforts.

Harry observed Snape. "Don't move. We'll discuss this together."

Snape raised his eyebrows but nodded assent.

"What should we do?" hissed Hermione once they were out-of-earshot.

"My gut tells me he's telling the truth, but I don't know," Harry replied.

"I think we should trust him," Lily said, steadfastly resolute. "And don't say I'm too trusting, I just know it – call it old friend's intuition."

When James opened his mouth to argue, she glared at him. "You'd know it if any of the marauders were lying, wouldn't you? Why's it any different between us?"

The other four exchanged glances.

"Well, if you're sure – " Harry began, but Lily cut him off.

"I'm sure. End of discussion."

Harry nodded, then turned back to the object of their deliberating.

"Can you help us win the war?"

Snape stared at him with unfathomable black eyes. "Yes."

"Can you help us destroy all the Horcruxes?"

An eyebrow was raised. "Yes."

"Can you heal Ron's leg?"

Snape regarded the offending leg, considering it.

"I can try."

Harry nodded. "Well, then, we'll believe you _for the moment_. If there's any reason for us not to trust you, we'll stop believing you. Agreed?"

The corner of Snape's mouth twitched. "Agreed."

James was still looking at Snape distrustfully. "What can you do to prove yourself?"

"I highly doubt I need to prove myself to _you_, Potter," Snape hissed at him.

"Well, prove it to those three then," James jerked his head toward the future trio.

Snape groaned. "I'll get the diadem of Ravenclaw."

"You know where it is?" Ron asked him, slightly shocked.

"I have an idea, Weasley. And I'm pretty sure I'm right," Snape told him, annoyed. "I suggest you five go and destroy the Horcruxes you already have. I'll send a message through Phineas."

The glare he sent to four of them as he apparated assured them that their sort-of alliance did not change his feeling towards any of them in any way.

Hermione broke the silence that had descended upon them. "Let's get back."

The others nodded and two-by-two they were transported back to Grimmauld Place.

**Thanks you to everyone who volunteered for the RP! Sadly, if you have not received a PM you won't be doing it - it was first come first served, I'm afraid. The first chapter will be up soon, though!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Back from holiday with a new chapter!**

"They're all gone."

The five were sitting in the sitting room, pale and sweaty, having destroyed all the Horcruxes currently in their possession.

The Horcruxes had put up a hell of a fight. But in the end, while tired, they had won.

Hermione gave a small smile. "Good."

Ron groaned. "Finally."

"Now we've only got to get the diadem – Snape's getting that – and the other one, whatever that is. Then we can get Voldemort for good," Harry said in satisfaction, sinking down into the sofa.

"Speaking of Snape, we really ought to see whether Phineas has a message from him," Hermione suggested, getting to her feet. Nobody else moved.

"Come on Hermione, give us a rest first," Ron complained, causing Harry to snort. "What?"

"Just a bit of déjà vu," Harry grinned, making his two friends laugh. They knew exactly what he meant; it was one of the most common arguments Ron and Hermione had had back in Hogwarts – usually about homework.

Lily joined Hermione standing up. "She's right though." Harry nodded as well.

James and Ron cast agonised looks at each other, but clambered to their feet, albeit slowly. They were smiled brightly at, then forced to follow the others out the room.

"Phineas?" Lily gazed hopefully up at currently empty the portrait on the wall. The previous headmaster in question appeared soon afterwards.

"Yes?" he groaned, distinctly grumpy. "Why are you bothering me _this _time?"

"We wanted to know whether the headmaster had a message for us," Hermione replied quickly, not wanting to prolong the thoroughly unpleasant conversation.

"He did, as a matter of fact," was the answer. "He said he has found the diadem, and has a few guesses of what the final Horcrux could be. He would like to meet you the same place he did today."

"What time?" Harry asked, glancing at the old grandfather clock in the corner of the room.

Phineas regarded them disdainfully. "Tomorrow, same time." Seemingly bored by the conversation, he disappeared once again.

The five cast anxious looks at each other.

"Well, thanks for keeping us waiting," James mumbled grumpily, glaring at the portrait. "Why doesn't he just see us straight away? Then we wouldn't waste so much time."

"Come on, give him a rest," Lily told him reproachfully. "It must be quite a shock for us to be around again."

"He could be happier," James said irritably, kicking the wall. "Maybe not about me, but he could be happier _you _were around again."

Lily looked around at the others for support, only to find they'd left them on their own.

"It would be a lot to handle!" she protested. "He's much older than me now, and I'm not the Lily he knew! It can't be the same, and he won't exactly announce to the world that he's happy."

James sent her a confused look. "Why aren't you the Lily he used to know?"

"I grew up! And I'm not the grown up Lily, I'm the Hogwarts Lily who really isn't ready to fight!"

"I'd say you're a cross between the two right now," James told her evenly. "So I say Snape could be happier."

Lily threw her hands up. "Okay, okay, he could be happier! But he's not, or he just isn't showing it, so there's nothing else to say on the matter!"

James took a hasty step backwards. "If you say so…"

"I do." Lily glared at him.

"Alright… I'll go to the library or play a game or something and not continue this conversation about Snape… Yeah, I'll just go now…" James started to edge slowly out of the room.

Lily had to laugh slightly at James's awkwardness. "You do that." Smiling, she went to find Hermione.

AAAAAAAAAA

Once again, the five were huddled in the corner of the graveyard, waiting for Snape to appear and give them the diadem – and, more importantly, information.

Lily shivered, and glanced at her companions. Ron's leg was still unhealed – neither herself or Hermione had trusted themselves enough to try and heal it, and James and Harry simply just didn't know how. This meant that Ron had to sit down whenever and wherever possible, meaning right now he was perched – somewhat uncomfortably – on a headstone.

Hermione sat beside him on the next headstone along, perhaps wanting to keep him company. Lily knew she had appointed herself as "protector of Ron" (as James had put it) while he was an invalid, and had wondered a few times about whether Hermione harboured romantic feelings for him.

James was standing next to her, and this she was glad for – although she would deny it, the graveyard was cold and a little creepy. It was nice to have some source of comfort.

Harry stood in front of them all, unmoving, as he stared at the spot where Snape would appear any time soon.

A minute later, the headmaster of Hogwarts appeared just a few metres shy of them, a small cloth bag in his left hand. His eyes flickered around the graveyard, then he began to stride toward them quickly.

"The diadem," he said shortly, thrusting it into Harry's hand. "Don't lose it or do anything as equally stupid with it before you destroy it."

Harry glared at him. "We're far more capable than you think."

Snape sneered but said nothing.

"So what do you think the next Horcrux could be?" Hermione asked from where she was perched.

"I have a few possibilities, but I'm sure Potter Junior could answer that better than I," was the smooth reply, causing all heads to turn to Harry, who had raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Ron demanded, at the same time as Hermione asking frostily,

"Are you insinuating something?"

Snape's lips curved up into a smile. "Not at all. Just wondering how much Potter Junior uses his – what shall we call them? – visions."

Harry's eyebrow had shot down. "What I _can _say for certain, Snape, is if you make unfounded accusations about any of us, our alliance will not last for long."

"And would I care?" Snape was the one with the raised eyebrow now. "I would say you were the ones benefiting from this – as you put it – _alliance_."

"Well, why are you sticking around, then?" Harry shot back.

Snape glared at him. "As I was saying, these vision. I'm suggesting you use them as much as you can to find out information about the remaining Horcrux."

"But Dumbledore – " Hermione began, but Snape cut her off.

"Dumbledore's dead, Granger, and that was before this war had properly started!"

"He's dead because you killed him!" Harry shouted, the sore point having been brought up again.

"And I killed him because he asked me to!" Snape shouted back, his composure lost for a moment. It was back within seconds. "Find as much information from the visions as possible, find out what the last Horcrux is and then send a message through Phineas to me. Until then, I don't wish to hear from you."

Then he was gone.

Lily dropped her head onto James's shoulder.

**CALLING ALL YOU ARTY TYPES. Well, this image thing that's been brought in. challenge you to do a book cover for this story, publish it on the internet somewhere (I suggest deviantART) then send me the link. I'll use the best one as the image for this story. I will credit you on both my profile and this story, and add you as a favourite author. I might even review some of your stories.**

**So get going, and of course please review!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A little late, as I had a rocky start with this one, but hopefully it gets better as it goes on.**

**My review count is going down, my dears. Is it because it's getting worse or you're just too lazy to express your thoughts? Please review, even if it's just an account of what you did today or how much you love your favourite food. I would prefer reviews about the actual story, though.**

The dormitory was quiet, an extremely uncommon occurrence; while many wouldn't guess it, Remus found it completely off-putting when he was reading. He had learnt to live with the noise, and now it was like for him as trying to read through noise was for others.

The door swung open and Remus looked up as Sirius walked in. Well, there was no James, so there went his reading time.

"They haven't got back yet," Sirius told him, an unnaturally worried expression on his face.

"They probably just wanted some more time. Relax," Remus levelled an I-think-you're-overreacting-about-nothing look toward the worried marauder.

Sirius flopped onto his bed. "I don't know…"

"If they're not back within the next two hours, we'll go to Dumbledore," the wolf replied, going back to his book. Surprisingly, Sirius had nothing left to say on the matter. _Well that was easy._

Needless to say, they weren't back within the next two hours and Moony had joined Padfoot in being agitated. When exactly two hours had passed, the dog animagus leapt to his feet.

"Okay, we're going to see Dumbledore now."

Remus complied only too readily, the two of them exiting the dormitory in as fast a walk they could do without looking suspicious.

They were at the entrance of Dumbledore's office in ten minutes, and Sirius turned to Remus questioningly. "Password?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "I guess being a werewolf has one benefit." He turned to the gargoyles guarding the door, and said in a clear voice, "Fizzing Whizbees." The gargoyle nodded slowly and let them pass.

The esteemed headmaster of Hogwarts looked up as they entered. If he was surprised, he hid it well and simply conjured two armchairs for them to sit on. "Ah, Mr Lupin, Mr Black – and why am I owed such a pleasure?"

"James and Lily aren't back from the Hogsmeade trip yet," Sirius said, cutting straight to the chase. "And I'm – we're – slightly worried."

The expression in Dumbledore's eye showed he was slightly worried as well. "Very well, I'll send someone to look for them – and meanwhile, try to think of any means of communication you have." He exited the room, and Sirius sat up straight.

"The mirror!" He dug around in his pocket for it, then said breathlessly to it, "James Potter!"

AAAAAAAAAA

James was sitting by himself in a small sitting room when something burned in his pocket. He jerked upright, his hand immediately feeling for the object – and then he stilled when he realised what it was. The two-way mirror.

An internal battle raged in his head for a few seconds – should he answer? Wouldn't that lead to questions about where he was? Did he want them to know where he was? What if it wasn't one of his friends, and was a Ministry official?

In the end, temptation won and he drew the mirror from his pocket. His heart pumping ten times the speed it should have, he said quietly, "Accept."

Sirius Black's worried face filled the screen, a small section of Remus's arm also visible. "Where are you?" he was instantly demanded. "Why aren't you back yet? I would think _five _hours would be enough before Evans got sick of you."

James could hear Remus give a noise of retribution, but wasn't paying much attention. Five hours? More like – how long had he been here now? He couldn't remember.

"Where _are _you?" Sirius pressed impatiently.

James grinned and flashed the mirror around the room he was in, before settling it back on his lap, quite pleased with himself. Leave them guessing.

Then he froze. Wait a second…

"What are you doing in my old house?" the Black gave him a look of confusion.

James internally cursed himself, then wetted his dry lips. "It's a long story."

"Then tell us, then we can get Dumbledore and get you back to school. You missed Reg having a temper tantrum because there wasn't any cream left at dinner."

"That's an exaggeration," Remus's amused voice came from one side of the mirror.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Close enough. Anyway, we'll get Dumbledore to get you out."

James suffered another internal battle, one that surprised him. Did he really want to get to school just now? He couldn't – not with his son, Ron and Hermione back here. It was an obligation to stay behind. But how could he explain that to his fellow marauders.

"Can I stay here a little longer?" …Well that was lame. Sounded like a little kid wanting to stay up a bit later after his bedtime.

Sirius gave him a strange look. "Are you alright, mate? First you tell me you're at my old house, and then you're asking to stay for longer. Have you been cursed?"

"It's a long story." He enunciated each word carefully and slowly, not wanting to let on any more.

"Well, tell us when you get back. I'll go and get Dumbledore."

"No!" James's voice came out louder and more panicked than he had wanted it to.

Sirius examined him critically. "Don't know what's wrong with you, to be honest. Here, talk to Moons for a while so I can get the wise old man with the white beard to sort you out."

Remus's face replaced Sirius's, and James found himself being regarded with puzzlement. He knew the expression well – it was the expression Remus usually wore when he was perplexed by a particularly difficult crossword.

"I want to stay here a bit longer," he said when the wolf didn't seem inclined to say anything.

"I know." Moony's eyebrows pinched together.

"I won't be here if you try to find me," James tried, earning a look of confusion.

"Why won't you tell us why you're there and why you want to stay here longer? Then we might understand."

To be honest, James wasn't sure himself. He only felt a sort of protective urge to remain tight-lipped about his current situation.

Remus sighed when he saw he wasn't going to get any sort of response from James. "Alright, I'll go and dissuade Padfoot from talking to Dumbledore. But if you're not back within the next twenty-four hours, we're going to get you back, no matter how difficult it is and what sort of situation you've got yourself into."

James nodded in agreement, remembering that the five hours in the pass had seemed like days to him.

"But the most important thing," Remus continued, grinning at him, "is, of course – how did the date go?"

James grinned. "Great."

He caught a glimpse of his friend's grinning face before the screen changed back slowly into a normal mirror, showing only his reflection.

**Next chapter will be up once it's been written!**

**Please review!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Why must you be so short, chapter? At least it's on time. **

**This will be the only author's note, because the end of the chapter is a nice effect. So I'll just say now: Please review, because this story is finally going somewhere!**

Hurried footsteps caused Hermione to look up, only to see Harry striding towards her. He had a pale, drawn expression on his face and seemed agitated about something.

"We can call Snape again."

Hermione was on her feet in an instant. "A vision?"

Harry nodded, turning around and walking away again, Hermione following him. "I'll send a message through Phineas. You round up everyone."

Hermione signalled her understanding and the two separated.

Harry found himself standing in front of the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black sooner than he really would have wished. He was regarded with annoyance.

"Tell me your message so I can get this over with."

Raising an eyebrow, Harry replied. "As a portrait, I doubt you have anything of importance to do."

Phineas snarled. "That doesn't mean I have to spend my time dealing with insolent children such as yourself. What is your message?"

Harry found himself grinning. He was actually enjoying infuriating the previous headmaster of Hogwarts. "That sounded slightly like Snape. Have you been taking lessons from him?"

Phineas' glare would probably have been more impressive if it hadn't come from a portrait. As it was, Harry only felt slightly sizzled. "I've a good mind to go back to my other portrait. Tell me your message, or go away."

"We need to see Snape again. I know what the final Horcrux is," Harry told him, knowing when to stop.

Sending Harry a departing glare, Phineas disappeared, hopefully to tell Snape the message. He was back a few minutes later, looking no less displeased. "Expect a knock on your door in ten minutes."

Harry watched, unsurprised, as Phineas disappeared back to his portrait. He turned away and opened the door to see the other four standing behind it – clearly they had been waiting for him.

"He'll be here in ten minutes," he informed them, watching James's expression of displeasure in amusement.

"Can we get my leg healed, then?" Ron asked plaintively, and Harry mentally smacked himself. Last time they'd seen Snape, he'd been too preoccupied to remember to get Ron's leg back to normal health. What sort of friend was he?

Ron seemed to sense Harry's annoyance with himself, and sent him a reassuring smile in an out-of-character display of perception. "It's fine. I understand defeating Voldemort is slightly more important than my leg."

Harry still looked unconvinced, causing the two who knew him best to roll their eyes. It was just typical Harry.

"So what is the final Horcrux?" Lily asked, getting back to the subject at hand.

"Nagini," Harry replied, then, realising this didn't help much, clarified, "Voldemort's snake."

Lily grimaced. "That's going to be difficult."

James shrugged. "It's the last one. Then we just need to kill Voldemort and everything will be peachy. Although we still have to figure out a way to get back."

Lily shot him a startled look. "I'd completely forgotten about that."

"So had I," James replied. "Until I had a chat with Sirius and Remus."

Before anyone had a chance to question this statement, there was an insistent sound of rapping on the door. Harry hurried downstairs to open it, and the others made their way to the kitchen.

Harry opened the door and stepped aside to let Snape inside, understanding the danger of Snape being seen outside Grimmauld Place by a Death Eater – it would not be good for his loyalty to be questioned. "We're in the kitchen."

Snape led the way to the room in question, gathering rather hostile looks from James and Ron in particular.

"First thing's first," Harry told him, seating himself on a stool and accepting a cup of tea from Kreacher. "Can you try to heal Ron's leg? And preferably succeed?"

Snape glared at him, causing Harry to wonder how many people had glared at him that day. "Fine. Let's see it then, Weasley."

Ron extended his leg, and Snape studied it thoughtfully. Then, drawing his wand, he muttered, "_Sano_."

Ron felt his leg gingerly. "It feels – better. But not healed."

Snape tried again. "_Percuro_."

This time it seemed to have worked. Relief blossomed on Ron's face, and Harry appreciated for the first time how much the leg had actually been paining him.

Snape nodded in satisfaction and stored his wand back in his cloak. "Now that's over with, the Horcrux?"

Harry answered at once. "Nagini."

Snape raised his eyebrows. "That's going to be difficult."

"But won't Voldemort become able to be killed once we destroy it?" Hermione pointed out.

Something like pain – and a little pity – seemed to show on Snape's face. "Not quite."

Fear started to rise in Harry's chest. "What do you mean?"

"Voldemort has another Horcrux. One he never intended to make, one he doesn't even know about."

"What is it?" Harry's voice was only slightly louder than a whisper.

Snape swallowed. "Do you want to know?"

"Of course we do," this time it was Lily who spoke up. "Without destroying all the Horcruxes, we'll never be able to kill Voldemort."

Harry nodded, even though fear was shown clearly in his eyes. "Tell us – please."

Snape stared at him, and Harry raised his own eyes to stare back. After clearing his throat awkwardly, the quiet response came, shattering everyone's resolve for a moment.

"You."


	23. Chapter 23

**Really, really proud of this chapter.**

**There are only a few more left to go – one or two and then an epilogue! I can't believe I'm actually close to finishing a story…**

Silence.

"Can you say that again?" Harry found himself whispering.

"You're the final Horcrux," Snape replied, wincing at how blunt it sounded.

That's when the explosion came.

"WHAT?"

"HOW – "

"HARRY?"

Harry gave a wry smile. "Be quiet for a moment." When he noticed that the other four were probably going to start yelling again, he turned to Snape.

"So how _did _it happen?"

"Well, on the night when – when you two died – " here Snape nodded his head to Lily and James " – Voldemort's soul broke once gain, even though he didn't mean it to. The broken part of soul then latched onto the closest living thing – you."

"So Voldemort didn't mean to make me a Horcrux?"

"No."

"And does he know that I'm a Horcrux?"

"No."

Harry smiled grimly. "And how do you destroy it?"

"DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE CONSIDERING IT?" This was from Ron.

"You know me too well," was Harry's only reply.

"You have to be killed. And Voldemort himself must do it."

There was a deathly silence again.

"Should be fun," Harry said quietly.

"HARRY!"

The room's occupants sans Snape shouted this out, giving Harry a mixture of death glares, scared expressions and incredulous looks.

Harry sighed. "Guys, think about it. If I sacrifice myself to Voldemort, I'll destroy the Horcrux inside me. I'll also protect the whole wizarding population from Voldemort, if I sacrifice myself for them – it's like what Mum did for me, only on a much larger scale."

Hermione turned to Snape pleadingly. "Please tell me that won't work."

Snape gave her a slightly pitying look, and seemed almost sorry about what he was going to say. "It would."

"So that's settled," Harry got to his feet. "I'll go now."

"DON'T YOU DARE, HARRY POTTER!" Lily was on her feet, and glaring at him. "I'M NOT GOING TO LET MY SON GO OFF AND BE KILLED – WHAT SORT OF MOTHER DO YOU THINK I AM?"

Harry, Ron and Hermione gave each other startled looks – they had always thought Lily Potter (well, Evans right now) to be a quiet and well-manned girl. Apparently they were wrong. And apparently that's where Harry's temper had come from.

However, Lily was far from finished. "I DON'T CARE THAT IT WILL SAVE THE WIZARDING POPULATION! IT MIGHT BE SELFISH, BUT I DON'T CARE! I DON'T WANT YOU KILLED!"

"Lily – " Hermione began weakly, glancing at Harry. He was sat, frozen, his mouth gaping open and a shocked look on his face.

"Who's going to kill Voldemort once you're gone, mate?" Ron asked him softly.

"Don't go," was James's contribution.

But Harry's expression was obstinate, and the others knew it was a lost cause. They could shout and beg all they wanted – but it wouldn't work. They couldn't keep him back.

"At least let us go with you," Lily said, calming down a little.

Harry nodded, an unfathomable expression on his face. Turning to Snape, he asked, "How do we get to Voldemort?"

Snape regarded him thoughtfully. "Let him know where you are."

This caught Harry off-guard. "What?"

"It seems you have been using Occlumency without realising it," Snape told him, his customary sneer gone. "Voldemort has been complaining about it – he's been trying to use Legilimency non-stop, but to no avail. If you let him know where you are, he'll be here within a heartbeat."

"How do I stop using Occlumency I don't know I'm using?" asked Harry, slightly confused.

This time Lily replied. "Think of something that makes you feel a strong emotion – love or hate would be best."

Snape nodded. "Somehow – don't ask me how you managed it, Potter – you've been able to shield yourself from any strong emotions, keeping Voldemort at bay. You could still have visions about him, but he can't have visions about you." He smiled grimly. "Voldemort has one strong emotion – hate. He may be a skilled Legilimens, but Occlumency is his downfall."

"So I should open my mind now?" Harry asked.

"Let me get away first. After that, when you are ready." Snape strode purposefully towards the door, then apparated away once he had reached the other side. The five were left alone.

"Are you sure you want to be here?" Harry said at last, breaking the awkward silence. "He could kill you before he got around to me."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Lily hopefully. Harry gave her a look and she visibly deflated. "I know. Wishful thinking. But a girl can hope, right?"

The awkward silence descended again. Harry sat up. "I'm going to call him now. Now, are you really, truly sure you want to stay?"

The other four nodded, the severity of the situation finally hitting home.

"Okay. Once I'm gone, Voldemort shouldn't be able to hurt you. Try and capture him or something, and destroy Nagini. Then you can try and kill him."

Nobody was quite sure who was the first to move. All that they were aware of is they were all piled on top of Harry, legs and arms entangled, and tears running freely down their faces.

Harry, for his part, was a little overwhelmed – but he wasn't going to push them off. No, this was comforting, relaxing – and he had to allow them their last goodbye.

"Hey," he said quietly, but ensuring they all could hear him. "It won't be all bad. You can destroy Voldemort, and lead happy lives. And I can go and see everyone who I miss – and I'll be seeing Mum and Dad again almost straight away. So it's not really goodbye. And Ron, Hermione – I'll be seeing you again too before you know it. This isn't the end. Not yet."

"Someone should write that down," Hermione sniffed into his ear. "Who knew you could be that poetical?"

Before they knew it, they were all laughing hysterically. Harry was freed from the clutches of the others, and all five stood up. They did not bother to clean their faces and hide the fact that they had been crying – they were human. And they would show Voldemort that.

Harry glanced at the others, taking in the reassurance on their faces. He closed his eyes and opened his mind.

**Please review!**


	24. Chapter 24

**The last story chapter, the next one will be the epilogue! You have no idea how weird that idea is to me. I have never finished a multi-chapter fic before.**

**It's a short chapter, but I couldn't make it any longer.  
**

Everything seemed to happen in a flash. No sooner had Harry allowed himself to open his mind,he appeared.

Voldemort.

His face twisted into a sneer, his red eyes focusing on Harry, and Harry alone. The other four sat by the side and out of the way, their worried eyes following Voldemort's every moment.

Harry tried to smile pleasantly. "Good to see you, Tom."

He saw Voldemort's lips begin to move and closed his eyes, bracing himself for a curse that was sure to come. The only question was which one – would his death be quick, or would Voldemort wish to prolong it for his own satisfaction?

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

Relief flooded him, then the green curse hit and everything went black.

* * *

The other four watched helplessly as the lifeless body was flung back by the sheer force of the curse. They barely had time to think before Voldemort had turned his grinning face toward them, a sick expression of satisfaction spreading across his face.

"_Crucio!"_

The curse hit Lily straight in the chest, who blinked when nothing happened. She turned to Voldemort, satisfaction on her face also.

"It's happened again, hasn't it Tom? You can't harm us, now that you've killed Harry. And you can't harm anyone else, either – he's saved everyone from you."

An expression of dawning comprehension and horror settled on Voldemort's face.

"_Incarcerous!" _Lily shouted, and was dimly aware of Hermione doing the same.

Black ropes covered every inch of Voldemort's body, and James's added _"Silencio!" _stopped the Dark Lord from talking.

Their small distraction over, they turned to the prone figure of Harry, silent tears already running down their faces.

* * *

There was too much white.

Harry groaned and buried his face in his hands, trying to keep the blinding whiteness from entering his eyes, used to the dim lighting of 12, Grimmauld Place.

He stayed in that position for a while, before reaching the conclusion that he was completely naked.

Colour flooded his cheeks and he sat up quickly, checking that there was no-one around. There seemed to be nothing – all he could see was the same vast expanse of white. He lay back, wishing he was clothed.

Almost immediately after this thought had passed through his mind, a folded pile of clothes appeared by his left foot. Marvelling at this – was this like a Room of Requirement? – he hurriedly pulled them on.

"Sorry we're late."

Harry jumped and turned, his eyes growing wide and his jaw dropping open as he took in the two figures that stood before him. He'd seen them not five minutes ago, and now they were here again – only older, he reflected.

His parents came and sat beside him. They sat in silence for a while, letting each other think.

Harry's gaze wandered around the whiteness, before finally fixing on a small red blob marring the complete blankness. He focussed on it, surprised when the sight started to become clearer, until he saw it looked like a small, red baby.

"What's that?" he asked, partly because he really wanted to know, and partly because the silence was getting too intense.

"It's the part of Voldemort that was inside you," his mother replied quietly. "That Horcrux exists no longer."

"So now the other four only have to destroy Nagini and kill Voldemort," Harry said, stretching his legs out and staring at his toes.

"Actually, only two of them," James corrected him. "Ron and Hermione."

Harry turned to him in confusion. "So what about you two?"

"We won't be there anymore," Lily spoke for her husband. "We'll be back in our own time, and in the end we'll die and the whole thing will go in a cycle again. And we can't stop it. So there'll only be Ron and Hermione left."

"And what about me?" Harry asked, wiggling his toes experimentally.

"What about you?" James raised an eyebrow.

"Well – I'm dead, aren't I?"

Lily smiled a little wistfully. "Only if you want to be."

"So I can go back?" Harry questioned, his eyes still fixed steadily on his feet.

"If you want to," James spoke this time. "It's your decision."

There was silence again, and Harry finally removed his gaze on his toes.

"Then – I want to stay."

"You do?" this was said by both his parents at the same time.

Harry nodded. "You want me to stay with you. So I'm going to stay."

"It's your decision!" Lily protested. "We wouldn't want to force anything on you!"

Harry shook his head resolutely. "This is my decision, and I choose to stay." He allowed himself a small smile. "Ron and Hermione can go without me for a while. We'll see each other again."

James laughed, getting to his feet. "Alright then, come on inside. Sirius is literally bouncing off the walls in anticipation."

"We wouldn't let him come," Lily explained, grinning.

Harry grabbed both of their arms. "Let's go in then!"

The three of them set off at a run.

**Please review, and the epilogue will be up soon!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Wow. That last chapter had quite a vehement response.**

**Well, to those of you who are still here, here is the epilogue!**

"_I'm falling from favour and I'm falling from grace – _

_Falling out of trees and falling on my face –_

_Fallen out of taxis, out of windows too,_

_Fell in your opinion when I fell in love with you."_

Lily smiled contently, letting her feet dangle into the clear water of the pool. She was the only one there for the moment; she could just relax for a bit.

Her eyes drifted to the other red-haired girl who was walking towards her. Ginny Weasley had arrived in the afterlife a few years after Harry had died, and refused to speak of the circumstances – Lily had of course guessed, but she had never asked.

She leant back, closing her eyes.

"_Sometimes I wish for falling, wish for the release,_

_That is falling through the air, to give me some relief,_

_Because falling's not the problem, when I'm falling I'm in peace,_

_It's only when I hit the ground it causes all the grief."_

She guessed everything had turned out for the best in the end.

* * *

"Dungbombs?"

"Unoriginal."

"Spiked drinks?"

"Boring…"

James glared playfully at the now-human dog animagus. "And you can think of better?"

"Explosions, lots of noise and flying pigs singing, 'God Rest Ye, Merry Hippogriffs'."

"It's not Christmas."

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "And?"

James snorted. "You scare me sometimes, you know that?"

"Glad to hear it. Come on, we've got work to do."

James laughed as he got up to follow his friend.

He supposed everything had turned out for the best in the end.

* * *

"Harry!"

Harry turned as quick as a flash at the sound of the familiar voice. "Hermione!"

He was pulled into a hug from Hermione, someone who he had not seen in years – once he was released, he was pulled into a similar one by Ron.

After a few minutes of hugs, tears and obligatory 'how are you?'s, Harry gave them both a suspicious look.

"So how come you died at the same time?"

Hermione laughed. "We didn't! Ron's been waiting for me for about a year in the in-between place. We wanted to greet you together."

Harry gave a small smile. "And it's been okay? You forgive for staying here?"

"Well, Voldemort's gone, and we do. Does that answer your questions?"

Harry grabbed their arms. "I suppose everything has turned out for the best in the end."

FIN.

* * *

**There's so much stuff I wanted to say here, but I'm going to try and keep it as short as possible.**

**First, I have loads of plans for new multi-chapter fics, so I can't say what my next project is because I'm not sure. I will of course keep on writing random one-shots, and I'll start a new multi-chapter sometime soon. Please stick with me!**

**Second, a massive THANK YOU to everyone who has read, alerted, favourited, reviewed, liked it, didn't like it, and stuck with me until the end. You are all awesome.**

**THANK YOU AND PLEASE REVIEW!**

**~ beeabeeon49 ~**


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